Why can't I tell you how I feel?
by JuanPabloA1987
Summary: Lizzie and Gordo finally decide to confess their true feelings for each other. They'll try to talk, but there's always something that keeps them from doing it. And Kate will try to screw up everything between them, cause she's got crush on Gordo.
1. Feelings

_Hi Lizzie McGuire Fans! It's my first fanfic. With this story I am trying to improve my abilities to write in a language different to my native language, Spanish. Please read and review! Tell me the things you liked about this story, or what you didn't like, or what should be improved. If you speak or understand Spanish, you'd probably like to read the Spanish version of this story. Visit my profile page and you'll find it!_

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or the characters and places included in the Disney's series. I only own the plot.  
_

**Chapter I: Feelings**

Gordo woke up with an unpleasant sensation of affliction. Every morning, every waking hour, she was in his mind. Lizzie McGuire, the most beautiful and wonderful girl he had ever known. The girl he knew lifelong. The girl he loved with all the strength of his soul, furiously, desperately. He loved her as intensely as the most violent of the storms, he loved her with so much passion… Little problem was, he never felt brave enough to confess his feelings.

"_I don't know if she feels the same way."_ he thought. _"I'd hate to destroy the friendship we've built along all the time we've know each other." _Gordo couldn't believe how near and how far she was from him. She was his girl best friend, but, could she be a girlfriend…? That was a whole different story.

"_The only thing I know is that I love you, Lizzie McGuire. I don't care about what could happen. I just can't hold on without telling you how I feel. I'll talk to you about this today."_ he decided.

**-s-**

Last night Lizzie had problems to sleep. She had locked herself into her room, feeling sad. She never imagined that she could end up falling in love with her best friend, David Gordon. She thought that if she dared to tell what she was feeling for him, she could lose her friend, her best guy friend at trying to get him as her boyfriend. Her feelings were hurting her a lot.

Over the time, Matt, her brother, had matured. He wasn't longer the same annoying boy. He had got calmer, wiser and cautious. But the decisive fact for that radical change was a very painful event, the unexpected death of his best friend, Lanny, in a car crash. Since that, he changed his behavior, his way to treat people, specially his way to treat Lizzie. Lanny's death taught him to value people more, especially those people that spent time with him everyday, specially Lizzie, who was the regular victim of his experiments and heavy jokes; death taught him that life is fragile, that we don't know when our time on Earth will be over, sooner or later. Now he, Gordo and Miranda were Lizzie 's three best friends.

Earlier that night, Lizzie was crying in her room, and Matt heard her sobs. He knocked the door and asked:

"Lizzie, can I come in?"

Lizzie dried her tears quickly with a tissue. She walked to the door and unlocked it, went back to her bed, and answered:

"Sure, Matt. Come in."

"What's happening? Why are you crying?"

"You know the reason…"

"It's Gordo, isn't it?"

"Yes… I love him, I love him too much and I don't want to lose him as my friend."

Lizzie started to cry louder. Matt hugged her. She felt better for a moment. Matt said:

"So, you have to talk to him and tell what you feel. Gordo wouldn't hate you for that."

"I'm not sure… I'm so afraid…"

"I understand. But you'd better tell him. If you don't, your feelings will suffocate you, they will haunt you. You will hurt yourself more if you don't tell him. And I know Gordo would never hurt you. He's my friend and I know him, as well as you. You won't lose him, I'm completely sure…

"Thanks, Matt. Thanks for your words… "

"Hey, what are brothers supposed to do? Besides, you know that I'm not only your brother. I'm also your friend."

Matt touched softly Lizzie's chin.

"You'll feel better tomorrow. Could we talk about this then?

"Ok, Matt. And thank you again. Good night, Matt."

"Good night, Lizzie. Bye."

"_I have to talk to Gordo tomorrow." _Lizzie thought. _"At the end, who doesn't take a risk, doesn't have a chance to win... and we promised to be friends forever, no matter what could ever happen."_

**-s-**

After waking up, Gordo took a shower and had breakfast. It was Sunday. He already had finished his homework on Saturday. The only thing he wanted to do this day was to meet Lizzie to talk to her about his feelings. At 9 a.m., he received a call from Miranda.

"_Hola chico_, how are you?" Miranda asked, cheerfully. "What's up?

"Hi, Miranda. I'm fine, thanks."

Gordo's voice sounded sad.

"Hey, wait a moment. Why do you speak with that voice tone? What's wrong?"

"Same thing of these last days. You know I'm madly in love with Lizzie. I've decide to talk to her today. I'll call her to ask her to go out today to the Digital Bean."

"WOW! Gordo, I was thinking you'd never take the courage to do it! And don't be afraid, it's obvious that both you and Lizzie would move mountains for each other!"

"What do you mean? You mean Lizzie…?"

"Yes, my dear friend. She also loves you, and she cannot hide it. You and Lizzie are the only ones who haven't noticed about your feelings for each other!

"Hope you're right. So, in any event, I'll call you tonight."

"Yeah, sure. Best of luck today!"

Gordo hung the phone up. Was it possible? Did he have a chance?


	2. The date at the Digital Bean

Hi friends! Chapter II is here! I hope you like it! I want to thank to all my reviewers. I want to thank specially to Christylee and greenaura (Hey, you two are fantastic!) by helping me to correct mistakes and giving the straight sense to some phrases (remember, my mother language is not English)!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Lizzie McGuire, nor the characters and places included in the Disney's series. I only own the plot.

**Chapter II: The date at the Digital Bean.**

That Sunday morning, Lizzie was at her desk, playing with her pencil, looking through the window. The phone ringed and Jo went to answer the call.

"Lizzie, you got a call!"

"I'm coming, Mom! Who is it?"

"It's Gordo."

Lizzie's heart started to beat rapidly. She took the phone and answered. "Hello, Gordo?"

"Lizzie?"

"Gordo, I'm glad to hear from you!"

"And I'm glad to hear you. Lizzie, I'd like you to come with me to the Digital Bean this afternoon. Could you go? I need to ask to you for a piece of advice, and I don't want to talk about it on the phone," he lied.

"Really? Is it something serious?"

"Mmm..." Gordo hesitated. "Not really, but I'd like to talk to you personally."

"Ok, wait a moment. I'll ask my mom if I can go."

Lizzie requested permission from her mother. "Mom, could I go this afternoon with Gordo to the Digital Bean? Please…"

"Go to the Digital Bean with Gordo?" said her, giving a knowing sight to Lizzie.

Lizzie blushed.

"Could I go? Please…"

Jo didn't refuse.

"Sure, Gordo, I can go. Is it OK if we meet at 4 p.m.?"

"It's perfect. So, don't forget it."

"Gordo, how can you think I could forget it? Of course I'll go. Besides, I also need to talk with you about something too…"

"Great! So, we'll meet at the Digital Bean at 4 p. m."

"Sure. Bye, Gordo."

"Bye, Lizzie."

Lizzie thought she couldn't get any luckier. Gordo thought the same thing. They both hoped to finally be able to talk about their feelings, but above everything, they each hoped the other one would feel the same way.

_**-s-**_

4 p.m.

A splendid sun was shining on the magnificent Hillridge afternoon. Gordo was already at a table at the Digital Bean. He was trying to take control of his emotions. "This day won't end without Lizzie knowing how I've been feeling about her for such a long time," Gordo thought.

The metallic door of the Digital Bean opened. Lizzie appeared, more beautiful than anytime Gordo had seen her before. She was dressing in matching a pink blouse, a jacket and blue jeans. She had high-heels and her hair was loose and plain. As she saw Gordo, a nice smile came to her face, making her look more fantastic than she already did.

"Oh my God, she's so beautiful!" Gordo thought. Her blonde hair, her hazel color eyes and her snowy skin made him feel like he was in a dream. Above her physic appearance, he liked how was her: selfless, kind, cheerful. She was perfect in every way.

"Hello, Gordo"

"Hi, Lizzie. How are you?"

"I'm fine. And you?"

"I'm fine, too… Thanks."

Edginess was floating in the air. Trying to leave the principal theme of conversation for later, Gordo asked, "Uh… have you done your homework?"

"It's OK. I finished it this morning. Tenth grade Math is a little difficult, but I understand it. What about you?"

"It's all right. I finished it yesterday."

"I knew it. You're the smartest kid in the class! You must have finished it fast!" Lizzie said, giggling.

"_Look_!" Gordo thought to himself. "_Lizzie laughing is the most fascinating thing that could exist in the entire universe!"_

"Please, don't say that," Gordo said out loud. "I don't like when people tell me that, I'm not special…"

"_But you're the most special person that could exist, for me…_" Lizzie thought.

"Come on, Gordo, don't be so modest…"

Their conversation extended to other themes. Matt, the high school, teachers, Miranda, their families, how clueless Ethan Craft was most of the time…

Soon it was evening. They had being talking for hours, as they had some cups of ice cream and cake, when finally Lizzie said,

"Well, Gordo. You told me you wanted to ask to me for a piece of advice… What's it about? Tell me… If you made me come here to talk about it personally, it's got to be serious, You left me kind of worried."

Gordo blushed.

"Well... Lizzie, it's not really a piece of advice I want to talk about; it... it actually is-"

Suddenly, Kate Sanders appeared next to them, escorted by her hateful friends, and with her accustomed wickedness, she said to them, "Gordo, McGuire, What are you doing? McGuire, your clothes are so tawdry! Look at that blouse pink you're wearing! Did you come prepared… for what? Where did you get that blouse? Kindergarteners R Us?" Ha, ha, ha, ha… "

Gordo talked to her. "What's wrong with you, Kate? Stop annoying her. She hasn't bothered you, and I'm not going to let you offend her!"

"Oh! And the defender is here! What are you? Are you her boyfriend? Be not insolent; don't speak to me that way!"

"The only insolent one here is you, Kate! If you…"

"Gordo, just ignore her, let's get out of here…" Lizzie said.

Kate attacked again. "Oh, the little child goes to cry at home? If I were you, I…"

"ENOUGH!" Lizzie screamed, as she slapped Kate, who was paralyzed by the Lizzie's reaction. "I'm gone!"

"Lizzie, please wait!" Gordo said, as he ran after his friend, who had already left the Digital Bean.

Kate screeched, madly furious and shamed. It was the first time that anyone reacted in that way to her attacks.

"What are you looking at? Mind your own business!" she yelled at the people who had watched the whole scene.

Ethan arrived, surprised to see Lizzie coming out of the place, visibly bothered, and Gordo running after her.

"What happened?" Ethan asked.

"Stupid McGuire, she's going to pay for this…"

"What happened?" Ethan asked again.

Kate told him. After listening to her, Ethan said, "I think Lizzie did well. I've told to you a lot of times not to treat people as you've being doing. If you don't change that, you'll be alone, and nobody will want to be your friend." After saying that, he walked away.

Kate was left in shock, by both the actual truth Ethan had said and his sudden rush of mind-clearness, something unusual in him. She got away from her friends, exited the place, and the only thing she could do was to sit on the sidewalk and cry in silence.

**_-s-_**

Lizzie came out of the Digital Bean, tears running down her cheeks. Gordo reached and stopped her, taking her softly by the arm.

"Lizzie, calm down, please…"

She hugged him.

"I can't stand Kate. She bothers me everyday, and each time more cruelly, and I don't understand why. I can't tolerate her any longer!"

"Lizzie, please, don't pay attention to her, she isn't worth it…"

"I know, but it's too much to bear…"

"Calm down… You, me and Miranda will find the way to finish it…"

"Thank you, Gordo…"

They remained hugging for some time. To feel the heat of the other one was the most tranquilizing sensation they could feel. After that, they started to walk, heading towards Lizzie's place.

"Lizzie, please forgive me. If I wouldn't have asked you to come with me to the Digital Bean, you wouldn't have had to go through what happened."

"No, Gordo, It's not your fault."

"Do you know what the only good thing about this is? You put Kate in her place."

"I guess you're right…" Lizzie said, smiling lightly. "But my hand hurts. I'm not used to slap people, you know."

They both laughed.

After a few minutes they arrived at Lizzie's house. She said, "Thanks for being with me, Gordo, Thanks…"

"There's nothing to thank me for. I will be there for you whenever and wherever you need me…"

She kissed Gordo softly on the cheek and went into her house.

Gordo stayed there for a few moments, thinking. "It seems today wasn't the right day to tell here about my feelings. Damn it! Why did things have to happen this way?" He started to walk towards his house.

Lizzie was thinking also, already inside her house. "Why did things have to happen this way, precisely today, when I was going to confess to Gordo what I feel?"

"Oh, no!" A thought crossed through her mind. She remembered the reason for the date. "Gordo wanted to talk to me about something!" She rushed outside, but found no one. Gordo was gone.


	3. Meddlesome people

Hi my friends! Chapter III is here! I hope you like it. Please R&R and let me know what you think about my story. I have to thank again to Christylee, (Christy, you're helping me a lot! You're amazing!)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or the characters and places included in the Disney's series. I only own the plot.

**Chapter III: Meddlesome people**

After leaving Lizzie's house, he walked all around his neighborhood, up and down the streets, for about an hour. He needed time to think. Finally, he arrived to his house. He hardly greeted his parents and went straight to his room.

Gordo was confused. He lay on his bed and looked at the starry sky through the window. A perfect full moon was there. He thought about what happened a few hours ago. He felt an immense anger against Kate. But he thought: "I have to talk to her tomorrow. I can't let her make Lizzie's life miserable. And I have to talk to Lizzie too. I hope nothing will keep me from saying what I have to say."

He stayed in his room a little while longer. He heard the sound of the phone, and got up to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi Gordo, how are you?"

It was Miranda.

"Definitely, I'm not fine."

"I knew it. I just talked to Lizzie and she told me what happened. Kate… She's so meddlesome…"

"We've got to do something to stop her from annoying Lizzie. What if we talk to her tomorrow?" Gordo suggested.

"She won't listen to us…"

"I know that, but at least she will be warned."

"I guess so…" Miranda said.

There was a moment of silence.

"I'm not feeling ok," Gordo said at last. "I had decided to tell her how I feel, but today, today exactly, this had to happen."

"Things don't go always as we plan," said Miranda. "You've told me that lots of times."

"Yeah, it's true."

There was another moment of silence.

"You're not in a talking mood, are you?" Miranda said.

"I think not."

"Ok then, I'll see you tomorrow. It's late, we've got to catch some sleep. Good night, Gordo."

"Good night, Miranda."

"Think a lot about what are you going to do."

"Thanks. Bye, Miranda."

**_-s-_**

Next day, Lizzie was putting her books in her locker. Gordo saw her from the end of the corridor. He walked straight towards her. When he reached her, Lizzie closed her locker. He stopped, time did too. They gazed at each other.

"Hi Lizzie."

"Hi Gordo. How are you? I guess we left our conversation incomplete yesterday …"

"Yeah, Lizzie. Look, what I wanted to tell you was…"

Unexpectedly, Ethan Craft appeared between them, and with his typical joviality, he hugged them, each one on each side of him, taking them to the classroom.

"Hey, Lizzie, Gordo, what's up?"

_"Ethan Craft. He always appears at exactly the wrong moment"_, Gordo thought to himself, upset.

"I want you to excuse Kate for yesterday's incident," Ethan said. "I don't know what's wrong with her; lately her behavior is stranger than usual. I guess she finds it difficult to take control of her emotions… Do you understand?"

"Sure, Ethan," Lizzie said. "I was mean with her yesterday, but she didn't give me an alternative."

"Kate attacked Lizzie for no reason." Gordo said.

"Right, but I'm sure I won't happen again. I tried to get her to see that the way she treats people is wrong. Her behavior won't give her anything good."

"I hope she thinks about it…" Lizzie mumbled.

At that moment, Kate entered to the classroom, without greeting anyone, and sat down at her desk.

They were in their Literature Class. The teacher had the students sit in alphabetical order by last name, so Lizzie's, Gordo's and Miranda's desks were much separated. Everyone was in their respective places, when someone well known entered the room.

"Mr. Dig?" asked Lizzie, Gordo, Miranda, Ethan and Larry Tudgeman, all at the same time.

"Hey guys, how are you? Your regular teacher could not be here, so I will be his substitute today."

"I thought you were a substitute teacher only in Junior High School," Larry said.

"And I thought the last time I would see you would be on Junior High School..." He said in all seriousness. When he saw the shocked look in Larry's face, he said "Nah, I'm just joking, hehe. I'm very pleased to see you all again, guys. Let's get started."

The teacher was speaking and writing on the whiteboard, explaining to the class. Some students were not paying attention.

Gordo was thinking about Lizzie. He was looking at her as she was taking notes.

"_People are so meddlesome… First Kate, then Ethan. Who's next? I'll talk to Lizzie when classes finish today. I'm sure Miranda will leave me alone with her to talk…"_

A lot of doubts were spinning in Lizzie's mind.

"_What does Gordo want to talk with me about? Why does it seem that everyone and everything is plotting together to keep us from talking to each other? Anyway, I HAVE to talk with him. We never talked about what happened in Rome. I guess we both thought it wasn't that important, that it was something caused by the emotion of the moment, but it is not that for me, I don't feel it like that… I've never had the courage to tell Gordo what I've been feeling for so very long... Ethan Craft was only an obsession, but Gordo is my real love…"_

Kate was also thinking.

"_I really don't want to behave in this way with Lizzie. But very time I make a plan it turns out badly. I must take her away from Gordo. Gordo must be only mine!"_

Kate didn't understand when she started to feel this obsession about Gordo. She didn't understand why, but she wanted to separate him from Lizzie ever since she noticed he was in love with Lizzie. She knew she should say what felt as soon as she could. She felt caught.

Gordo continued thinking of Lizzie. In a sheet of his notebook he had drawn a scene from "Down With Love". Gordo had seen it on a night when Lizzie and Miranda picked what movie they were going to watch. In that scene, a couple found the favorable moment to be together, alone. Although it was a silly movie and he wouldn't have seen it on his own, he didn't understand why he felt like he was flying. Probably because that scene somehow looked like when he was in the rooftop of the hotel in Rome with Lizzie, and she kissed him… _"What I am doing?"_ he thought to himself.

"Mr. Gordon."

"_I've got to do it today."_

"Mr. Gordon!"

"Uh? Sorry?"

Mr. Dig was looking at him, intrigued.

"What's happening with you, Mr. Gordon? I've called you three times and you haven't listened to me."

Gordo thought: _"Three times? I only heard one!"_

The teacher took Gordo's notebook and looked at the drawing. The expression on his face changed. With his sharp intuition he confirmed something he suspected for some years. He was not a common teacher. Besides teaching, he was also interested about the problems of his students. He closed the notebook and returned it to Gordo.

"I'll be waiting for you at the end of class in the Teachers Room to admonish you for your lack of attention. I won't take you out of class because you're a good student. Don't do it again."

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Dig. I won't," Gordo said, ashamed. It was the first time that a teacher had had to reprimand him, and the fact that the teacher realized the reason made that moment even more embarrassing.

"_What's happening with Gordo?" _Lizzie asked herself.

The clock continued running, until it was time to go home. As they always did, Gordo, Miranda and Lizzie walked out together at the end of class.

"Gordo, what's wrong with you? I'm surprised about what happened today. You weren't paying attention in class; Mr. Dig called you on it… Something is not going well, huh?" Miranda said, giggling.

"Stop it, Miranda, please" he said calmly. "I think there is a first time for everything. Now I have to go. Mr. Dig asked me to go to Teacher's Room now. I'll see you later. Bye."

"Bye" said the two girls, at the same time.

Once Gordo was gone, Miranda broke the "Cone of Silence" as she used to do.

"Don't you think it's weird what's happening with Gordo?" she asked, with a suspicious look.

Lizzie's face turned red.

"Well, I do…"

Miranda smiled. "When will you talk with him?"

"Talk about… what?"

"About what's happening between you two."

"What are you talking about?" Lizzie asked.

"Lizzie, I've realized something. I know you love Gordo. Please, find the opportunity to have a conversation with him and tell him once for all what you feel. He also loves you. Don't leave it for later!"

Lizzie was shocked.

"You're right," she said with determination. "It can't wait any longer."

**_-s-_**

Mr. Dig was waiting for Gordo in the Teacher's Room.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Dig." Gordo said when he got there.

"Hi Mr. Gordon. Sit down, please. Tell me what's happening with you."

"It's nothing, Mr. Dig. I was a bit distracted, that's all…"

"Mr. Gordon, I know it. I realized how you were looking at Lizzie; I saw the drawing on your notebook… I suspected it long time ago."

Gordo was quiet. Mr. Dig gave him a paternal look.

"You make no mistake when you say that…" Gordo confirmed.

"It's all right. Only listen to what I'm going to tell you. Never stop fighting for yourself, never stop fighting for what is important to you, and don't let yourself become discouraged, ok?

"Ok, Mr. Dig. Thanks…"

"Love can be a very powerful force to improve yourself. And about the sanction, don't worry. You're not going to get in trouble." Only try to not get distracted in class. See you later."

"Thanks. Bye, Mr. Dig."

Gordo walked through the lonely patio of his high school. "First Kate, then Ethan, now Mr. Dig. It looks like a joke."

He was so concentrated on his thoughts while he was walking towards his house, that he didn't realize that someone was following him.


	4. Kate, I can't believe what you say

A.N.: Hi! Chapter 4 is here! I hope you like it. It took me some time to update, but work at college is hard. Thanks Christy, by your support! You're a fantastic girl! And thanks to all my reviewers!

I don't know what happened, it think I made a fatal mistake (or it was a FF error?) THis chapter was completely in SPANISH! But I fixed this. I'm sorry with all my readers... I'm really sorry! Now it's in English.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or the characters and places included in the Disney's series. I only own the plot. The fragment of the song included in this chapter is a translated fragment from the song "Siempre" by Salsa Kids.

**Chapter 4: Kate, I can't believe what you say…**

Gordo arrived at the corner of the street his house was on. He stopped there a few moments. Suddenly, he heard some footsteps behind him, and turned back to look. What the…? What was that? Kate was there!

"Kate, what are you doing here?"

"Ah… uh… I… eh… Hi…"

"Kate, were you following me?"

She was very nervous.

"No, I didn't. See, the thing is I want to talk with you."

"You want to talk with me?"

"Yes…" Kate said.

"Weird…"

"What's weird?"

"It's weird you aren't speaking to me in the usual tone you do, it's weird you looked for me to talk to me…"

"Well, I believe things can change some time, don't you think?" Kate babbled, trying to find an excuse.

"What do you want to talk with me about?"

"A lot of things. First, I want to talk about Lizzie."

"Oh, Lizzie! I just remembered **_I_** have to talk with you about Lizzie first," Gordo said. "I don't like the way you behave with her, especially what you did to her yesterday. She never would annoy you, she would never try to hurt you, but it seems like you do all you can to make her feel bad all the time and…"

Kate interrupted him.

"Believe me, I never meant to do those things to Lizzie. I have no real intention to hurt her. Although it seems like a lie, I appreciate Lizzie… Yeah, right, I never demonstrate it, but it's because I find it difficult to control myself. Besides, she interferes with my plans…"

"Plans? What plans are you talking about?"

Kate decided she had to say once and for all the reason for the pain and the struggle within herself, the reason that ironically also brought to her the strength and the light for her life, a life so miserable sometimes. To be popular was the worst hell, something that she would have never wanted to be. She wanted to stop being as she was, conceited and selfish.

"My plan is… I want you to be mine! Yes, Gordo, I like you! I don't know from when, I don't know how, I don't know why! I like you, and Lizzie interferes because she loves you, and I have noticed you also love her, and that's killing me! That's why I behaved that way yesterday!"

Gordo was surprised, almost shocked, unable to believe what he heard.

"Kate, I can't believe what you say… "

"What's so difficult to believe? I like you, I love you!"

Kate tried to kiss him, but he pulled her away.

"No, Kate. You don't love me. You're confused. Give yourself time to think. Don't hurt yourself; don't let me to hurt you. And, please, stop annoying Lizzie. I've got to go now. Bye."

Gordo started to walk, and Kate shouted to him, almost crying:

"Don't go! Didn't you listen to me? Don't you have anything to say?"

"_No."_ Gordo thought to himself. But at once he realized he was being too cruel. He didn't like to hurt anybody, even if that person is a person like Kate. So he turned around and said, "Kate, you're not thinking clearly. You have to take time to think. You can't love me. I can't love you. You have always been cruel to me, with me and with my friends, especially with Lizzie. Please don't hurt yourself…

"You see? You love Lizzie! I can love you more than her!"

"No, Kate. And again, stop bothering Lizzie, please. Bye."

Gordo continued walking towards his house. Right, he was a little rude with her, but he could not give false hopes to somebody that he didn't want, to somebody that he practically hated… the memory of Lizzie returned to his mind, and the verse of a song repeated in his head, sounding like a jeer:

"_I've finally decided_

_Not to lose the opportunity_

_To confess that you are the cause_

_Of this insomnia and this love_

_That's driving me insane."_

--

"My life is worthless… I'm always screwing up…"

"Kate walked, crying and cursing_."The first decent boy I like, and he is not interested in me, and that's my own fault!" _

"Hi, Kate, what's wrong?"

Suddenly, Larry Tudgeman appeared behind her.

"Tudgeman, what are you doing here?" Kate asked, wiping her tears and pretending to be fine.

"I crossed the last street and I saw you… You seem like you're not fine… Can I help you?

"No, leave me alone!"

Kate started to run, getting away from there.

"What a weird girl…" Tudgeman mumbled.

"Weird, really weird…" Ethan said, arriving at that moment.

"Do you know what happens with her?"

"Yep. She has some problems. But she'll solve them. By the way, do you want to go bowling with me and my friends? I need another person for my team. I would invite Gordo, but the last time I saw him bowling, he threw all the balls in the gutter, and Miranda cheered him up… I don't believe he's gotten any better since then. I've seen you bowling, you're pretty good. I could use a man like you on my team. Will you come?"

"Sure, I'd be glad to."

Ethan thought to himself: _"I hope Kate will think long and hard about what she's going to do."_

--

Lizzie arrived at to her house and found her family around the table of the kitchen, having a snack.

"Hi Mom, Hi Dad, Hi Matt!"

Jo answered to the greeting.

"Hi Lizzie, how was your day?"

"Everything was fine, what about you?"

"Everything's fine. Guess what! Your brother has been made Student of the Month."

"Really, Matt? Congratulations! You're a great kid!"

"Thanks Lizzie, but I couldn't have done it if you didn't help me to study the last few months… I think this prize is also yours …"

"Matt…"

Lizzie hugged her brother. Although he had grown up to almost her height, she still thought of him as a child, and took care of him as if he were a child. She had already forgotten about so many of the cruel tricks Matt had played on her, and well, when all was said and done, they were still brother and sister, weren't they?

The snacktime was all joy. In the afternoon, Matt went to Lizzie's room to talk with her.

"Lizzie, can I come in?"

"Sure, Matt, come in."

"How are you?" Matt asked

"You mean how am I about…?"

"Yes."

"Well, Miranda told me Gordo also loves me. But every time we try to talk about it, there's always something that doesn't let us finish our conversation… it's making me crazy…"

"Do you have a clue about what wants Gordo to talk about with you?"

"No, I don't…"

"Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie. Gordo also loves you. And I know what he is going to say. He's going to confess his feelings for you!"

Lizzie blushed and said, "Matt, do you think that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Talk to him, after all, who says you can't go first?"

"Yesterday I was supposed to do it. And, you're right, who says I can't go first? Thank you, Matt…"

"No problem. Can you talk to him today?"

"I don't think so, but I'd like it. We've got a lot, a lot of homework. I'll have to talk to him tomorrow."

"Why not today? But, well, if you want to talk with him tomorrow, it's your decision."

"I guess I'm not ready today. But tomorrow I will be!"

--

Gordo was at his house. He needed to talk with someone about what happened at the end of the school day with Kate. Would he talk with Lizzie? No. He wouldn't talk about that with Lizzie. It wasn't something he would talk about with Lizzie, because the problem was about Kate. Then he decided to call Miranda, so he took the phone and dialed her number.

"Hello?"

"Miranda?"

"Gordo, what's up? Listen, what bad luck, Mr. Dig asked you go talk with him… By the way, what did he say to you? "

"Nothing. Only he said not to get distracted in class, although I was in love with Lizzie."

"What?"

"Yeah, he had noticed…"

"You see? EVERYONE knows you're in love with Lizzie and Lizzie has fallen for you…"

"Well. That doesn't matter now. But something else happened you won't believe. Sit down or you're going to fall down when you hear it…"

"Gordo, what happened? Don't freak me out…"

"Kate was following me at the end of the day, after I talked with Mr. Dig, to tell me she was in love with me and that's the reason for her behavior with Lizzie… She seems to be crazy, obsessed… What a weird thing, I've got a bad feeling about this… Miranda, Miranda, hello… Miranda…"

Miranda was silent. She didn't know if believed Gordo or not.

"WHAT? That's impossible! You aren't serious... are you?"

"Do you think I could joke like that, about that matter and with Kate?"

Miranda remembered that Gordo was the most serious person she knew and he would not joke around about something so serious.

"It's just I can't believe it… And what did you say to her?"

"I told her it was a mistake, that she couldn't feel that for me, that I couldn't feel the same for her; also I told her to stop bothering Lizzie. Now I'm worried about Lizzie…"

"Why?"

"Because she said Lizzie was interfering with her 'plans'… and I'm afraid she could do something to Lizzie, something worse than she's already done…"

"Don't fear, Gordo. She will forget about that. But we'd better take care of Lizzie. Starting tomorrow we will keep an eye on Kate to see how to protect Lizzie from her."

"Thanks… We're The Three Musketeers, and we will be together forever!"

"Amen to that!"

What Miranda and Gordo didn't know was that the wounded Kate's heart was, in fact, making a plan to get Lizzie away from Gordo… and she intended to execute it as soon as she possibly could.

---------

Wait for Chapter 5! It will be ready soon!


	5. Enjoy your last day here McGuire

A.N: Hi! I'm sorry it took me so long to upload this chapter. But it's finally here! Once again, thanks, Christy!

**Chapter 5**: Enjoy your last day here, McGuire

In fact, the pain of Kate's heart turned into bitterness. Gordo's rejection caused her to feel a desire of vengeance against Lizzie, since she felt Lizzie was the reason for that rejection. She preferred to blame Lizzie for her own mistakes, mistakes she knew she made, mistakes she didn't want to remedy.

The first step of Kate's plan to take Lizzie away from Gordo was to get Lizzie expelled from school. But, how could she do it? She would have to incriminate Lizzie in an act of indiscipline, and she would have to have the necessary evidence to prove Lizzie's guilt.

_"How would I do it?"_

Her twisted mind thought of thousands of possibilities. She stopped when she found one that seemed absolutely perfect.

_"A double of Lizzie… The security cameras of school could film her, and that would be the perfect proof!"_

Now she had to think about who could help her. Her mind started again to think about possibilities. Finally, she thought about someone. She decided to go to talk with that person. It was 7 p.m. and that person lived a little far from there, so she went to ask her mother to take her.

"Mom, could you take me to the house of one of my friends? I need some help with my homework."

"Kate, I'm very busy right now, I can't," answered her mother, with her eyes staring at the TV.

"Mom, please…"

"I said NO, stop bothering me!"

Kate continued insisting. Her mother finally consented, mainly because she wanted Kate to stop annoying her, and not so much because she wanted to do something nice for her daughter.

Once they arrived, Kate's mom said: "I don't have time to come to pick you up, so take some money for a taxi." and gave her some bills.

"Thanks, mom…" Kate answered. "…for NOTHING_"_shethought to herself.

Her mother started the car and got away from there, making the wheels screech on the pavement. Kate walked straight to the door of the house and rand the bell. A girl answered the door.

"Kate…"

"Hi. I need your help."

**-s-**

Later that night, Miranda called Lizzie and Gordo to talk with them. It didn't matter how much homework they had, they always found a moment to talk by phone. She had gotten two calls and she had to talk about that with her friends.

"Guys, good news! Parker McKenzie called me. She's having a party at her house on Friday and she invited us. She told me to tell you. She'll give our invitations tomorrow at school."

"Great!" Lizzie said.

"Wow! A party. I was missing that, the work at school is so hard…." said Gordo.

"But there's something more… and it's not exactly good. She also invited Larry Tudgeman, and he called me, to ask me to go with him to the party. He told me that if I accept his invitation, he would have a very big change, a complete physical and mental makeover … I don't know what to do…."

"Tudgeman…" said Gordo, shaking his head and laughing slightly.

"I think you should give him an opportunity." Lizzie continued. "Larry can be a weird boy, but he's really fantastic… do you remember when Gordo and I disguised him and brought him to your party? You liked him, and not precisely by his physical appearance…"

"I have to think long about it…"

"That 'I have to think about it' sounds like 'I'll go with him…' Gordo said. "Isn't it nice? Miranda has a boyfriend!"

"Gordo, don't be annoying!"

"Uh… I'm sorry."

"Miranda" said Lizzie, "I really think you should give Larry an opportunity, besides…"

As Lizzie was talking with Miranda, Gordo sunk into his thoughts. That party…. would be the perfect chance to talk with Lizzie about his feelings! He would have to invite her and talk with her there. He only had to plan things better…

"Gordo!" Miranda and Lizzie yelled at the same time.

"Oh, what?"

"What's happening, Gordo? I'm saying goodbye and you don't hear me… see you tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye." answered Lizzie and Gordo.

"I have the feeling that party will be great…" Lizzie started to say.

_"It will be… I guess…" _ Gordo thought.

"So do I... " he said. "Lizzie…, I-I-I… eh…"

"What's wrong, Gordo?"

"Eh…, nothing… nothing. I've got to go. Bye."

"Gordo, wait..."

"-beeep-"

Lizzie heard the ringtone. Their call was finished.

"It doesn't matter now, Gordo. We're going to talk tomorrow."

**-s-**

"So, will you help me?" Kate asked, after explaining her plan to her friend.

"Of course I'll do it. Lizzie made me feel stupid and I'm not going to forgive her for that, never. Count on me," answered the girl.

"Ok. Let's start."

Kate looked in the wardrobe for clothes to dress her friend, trying to imitate the way Lizzie dressed. As the conceited girl she was, Kate knew how to make up the face of a person to disguise or accent face features, and she did just that to make the face of the girl resemble Lizzie's face... Lastly, they tried hairstyles with a blond wig. She would not color her hair because the double could not arrive at the school already transformed. When they finished, the girl turned around, showing the result of their work.

"Well, well, well... Lizzie, when did you get here? I didn't see you get in…" Kate said.

Devilish smiles came to their faces.

Witches' laughs resonated in the room.

-**s-**

Alter thinking a lot, Lizzie decided to go first, like Matt had suggested. She knew Gordo had a crush on her when they were in their last year of junior high school, but then she was obsessed by Ethan Craft. After Rome, she thought Gordo left to like her as more than a friend because he never talked to her about the kiss they shared in the rooftop of the hotel. But the signs that Miranda and Matt had shown to her indicated the contrary, and she lost her fear.

On the other hand, Gordo decided to plan things with more calm for Friday, for Parker's party. Two days ago he decided to confess his feelings once and for all, but there were always things that kept him from doing it. Now it would be different. It had to be different. The only thing he couldn't take control of was his edginess.

The next day they had classes at Chemistry Lab. They were walking towards the lab, dressing their white lab coats. Larry Tudgeman was very happy. Chemistry was one of his favorite subjects, besides Math and Physics. He reached Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda and said: "Hey guys, are you ready for the exciting world of Chemistry?"

"Eh… Yeah, Larry, sure, I guess…" Lizzie said, confused.

"Tudgeman…" Gordo said.

Miranda sighed.

"So, let's go, crew!" he shouted, walking faster. He looked sidelong Miranda and winked an eye, without Lizzie or Gordo noticing. Miranda's face turned extremely red, so red, that Lizzie exclaimed: "Miranda, what happened?"

Miranda tried to hide her embarrassment.

"Oh, nothing, it's just… do you feel hot?"

The Chemistry teacher made groups for the chemistry experiment. The groups were: Lizzie and Gordo, Miranda and Ethan, Larry and Kate. Kate, realizing who was her partner for the class, complained.

"It can't be… It must be a joke! My partner can't be… Larry Tudgeman!" Kate said, grumbling and making a grin of disgust.

"I'm not happy to be your partner either, Kate…" answered Larry. "And I don't like to be in my favorite class of the day with you. But we have to work together, so change your attitude, at least for this class..."

"Ha! Now you're telling me what to do?"

The teacher heard the discussion and spoke to Kate.

"Sanders, stop making scenes and start to work!"

"O-K…" answered Kate, annoyed.

Lizzie and Gordo were concentrating on their work, and making jokes sometimes. They were measuring some water volumes, and Lizzie made Gordo spill water on his lab coat.

"Oh, Gordo, I'm sorry…"

"No problem, don't worry…"

She took a rag and started to clean Gordo's coat. Kate saw them and was burning with jealousy. She took a pair of protective glasses and equipped herself with them, while Larry was finding some materials for the experiment. She left her table and approached Lizzie and Gordo.

"Sorry, Gordo, I'm so clumsy…"

"No Lizzie, it's right… Accidents happen…"

There was a moment of silence. Lizzie started to talk, shyly:

"Gordo… there's something I want you to know…"

Gordo's blood turned cold.

"What… ha...ppens…?"

"Gordo…, I lik…"

"EVERYONE COME OUT!" the teacher yelled, as a intense smoke started to fillthe entire room. "COME OUT!"

"Why? Ethan asked. "Why right now when the special effects start?"

"Ethan, think at least one time in your life! Some substance must have had a bad reaction, that's the cause for all this smoke, let's get out of here!" Larry said after he and the teacher left the Materials Room of the lab and the smoke started to expand.

"Damn…! Miranda, let's go!" Ethan said.

"Sure, let's go!"

At the same time, Gordo and Lizzie joined them to exit the class. In the middle of the smoke Miranda stumbled over the floor and fell.

"Lizzie, Larry, Gordo, help me!"

The screams of the other students kept everyone from hearing Miranda. Even the teacher could not hear her.

They had just left from lab when Lizzie asked, coughing, "Where's Miranda?"

"She's here…" Larry answered, but he realized she wasn't there. He looked around and she wasn't there. "Miranda? Miranda!"

"Oh my God, she's still in the lab!" Lizzie screamed, as she entered to the lab, running.

"Miranda!" Larry exclaimed, following Lizzie.

"Lizzie, wait!" Gordo shouted, running after them, but he stumbled over a backpack and fell, and he couldn't follow them.

Lizzie and Larry were in the lab, looking for Miranda in the middle of the smoke, and they found her, suffocating. They both took her out of the room.

"Miranda, talk to me, please…!" Lizzie cried, as she slapped lightly her cheek.

"We have to take her to nurse's office Ethan, Gordo, help me!" Larry shouted.

The three guys took Miranda to the nurse's office, but Gordon couldn't walk well. He had hurt his knee when he stumbled on the backpack. When they arrived, the nurse gave first aid, and Miranda regained consciousness.

"Miranda… You're fine! What a fright you gave me!" Lizzie said.

"What… What…. happened?"

"You almost suffocated, Larry and I took you out of the lab… How did you fall? When?"

"I don't know, I don't remember… anything… but thanks, Lizzie…, thanks, Larry…"

Larry looked at her tenderly, feeling relieved.

"Rest, princess, you'll feel better…"

_"What happened at the lab?"_ Gordo asked to himself, while the nurse applied ointment to his knee.

**-s-**

What happened?

Lizzie smiled at listening to Gordo's jokes. Kate saw them. _"I want Gordo's attention for ME"_ she thought, as she felt like she was burning in a hell of jealousy. She approached them without them noticing and listened to what they were talking about. Lizzie spilled water over Gordo's coat.

"_Oh, Gordo, I'm sorry…"_

_"No problem, don't worry…"_

"_McGuire, you're always so awkward!"_ Kate thought, equipping herself with a pair of glasses.

_"Sorry, Gordo, I'm so clumsy…"_

_"No Lizzie, it's all right… Accidents happen…"_

There was a moment of silence.

_"Gordo… there's something I want you to know…"_

Kate felt all her systems going into full alert. She knew what Lizzie was going to do, what Lizzie was going to say. She had to act fast. She held her glasses, took two test-tubes and mixed their content in one of them. She tossed a tiny quantity of another substance and poured the content in a container that was in the floor.

_"What… ha..ppens…?"_

_"Gordo…, I lik…"_

_"EVERYONE COME OUT!" The teacher yelled, as a intense smoke started to fill the entire room. "COME OUT!"_

Kate left immediately, because she knew when she had to leave. She was the one who caused the accident.

**-s-**

Later that day, the teacher talked to the class.

"What happened at lab seems like someone provoked a bad reaction between two substances. I've determined who is responsible by looking for the missing materials, so that person will be admonished. I'm not going to say the name here because it wouldn't be good to blame that person here in front of all you. So I'll call that person to talk in private.

"Change of topic, I'd like to remark that the actions of Miss McGuire and Mr. Tudgeman, they saved Miss Sanchez from asphyxiating in the lab."

"Very good Lizzie! Very good, Larry!" Gordo said, clapping. All the class did the same.

"Thanks…" Lizzie answered.

"Don't mention it…" Tudgeman said.

_"Very good, heroine. Enjoy your last day here at this school." _Kate thought. _"At least I kept you from saying what you were going to say…"_

The bell rang and everyone came out at the en of the school day. Of course, the three inseparable friends come out together. Miranda was feeling a little indisposed yet.

"Lizzie, come with me to my house, I need to talk with you, please…" Miranda begged.

"N-n-now?" Lizzie asked.

"Yes, please…"

Lizzie planned to talk to Gordo at the end of the day. But Miranda insisted, so she agreed to go with her.

"Well Gordo, I guess I'll see you later, Miranda has gone crazy…"

"Hey!" Miranda said.

"Hey, relax, just kidding. Bye Gordo."

"Bye, girls…"

When the two girls were gone, Gordo started to walk and remembered that Lizzie started to talk to him about something at the lab, just before the incident. "_What did she want to tell me? Maybe she wanted to tell me that she… no… I'd better not try to figure out things. I'd better go."_ He continued walking.

Kate was walking down the corridor of the school, and her chemistry teacher stopped her to talk, to reprimand her for her negligence at the lab. The materials assigned to her were the materials that the teacher found next to the container in which the smoke started. She would have to clean the school cafeteria for three days, by orders of the Principal. When the teacher left, Kate came out of school mumbling, madly angry:

"_Well, McGuire. I hope you have enjoyed your last day here at this school."_

The next day she would execute her plan with the help of that girl...


	6. Lost calls, unexpected meetings

_Hi everyone._

_Things have been a little dead here, right? I've got a lot of work from college, but it won't be something that keeps me from writing, because I just love it._

_Some weeks ago, I found an interesting document on the Internet: The Lizzie McGuire Timeline. That's very interesting, and I think it's fantastic, it has (I could say) EVERYTHING about the events of the series, and the author has figured out more events from things that happened in the series. You can find it at _

_http/lizzie.dan.info_

_It can be a useful tool for Lizzie McGuire Fanfic writers. According with that timeline, the events described in this fanfic are happening on 2003. Funny, isn't it?_

_I've found this chapter very hard to write, and by the way, is the most extensive of the story._

_Now I have a homepage, so you can visit me now there, just go to my profile page and you will find the link._

_Well, less words and more action. Here is Chapter VI. Enjoy. Oh, almost forgot, thanks to my wonderful beta reader. Thanks, Christy._

_- - - - -_

**Chapter VI: Lost calls, unexpected meetings, an executed plan…**

Lizzie and Miranda walked down the street at the end of the day. The afternoon was fantastic; a sunny and beautiful blue sky was above them. They were heading to Miranda's place. Miranda was feeling a little sick yet, after the lab's incident, but she was enjoying the ramble, in the company of her best friend. And of course, they had to talk about everything has happened that day.

"Well, Miranda." Lizzie said, with a knowing smile. She had seen the expression on Larry's face when Miranda regained consciousness at the nurse's office, and the gaze she returned to him. "What did you want to talk about?"

"About Larry. I decided that I want to go with him to Parker's party."

"It was so obvious…" Lizzie said. "These last days I've realized how much you love each other. And I'm happy to see Larry finally got the courage to do something about that. I didn't expect anything but you accepting him."

"Yes… Larry can be a little odd, but I have to admit that since we were in 8th grade, after my birthday party, I started to feel some attraction for him…"

Lizzie giggled, and exclaimed, "Oh… Miranda in love, head over heels…"

"Hey, don't mock me!" she shouted, and nudged Lizzie.

"I'm not mocking you… It's… "- Lizzie stopped, as her face faded out. "It's only I'm happy to see you've found someone…" Her voice sounded sad.

"What are you talking about? You also have someone and his name is David Zephyr Gordon!"

"That's what you say, that's what Matt says, but I'm not sure. Today I tried to talk with him about my feelings, but in that precise moment the incident at the lab started. I've tried to talk with him, but it seems I don't have the courage that it takes…"

Miranda broke the "Cone of Silence" she was keeping with Gordo.

"You know what? The same, more or less, happens with Gordo."

"What?"

"Gordo adores you, and since Sunday he's been trying to tell you how he feels, but things simply go wrong for him! Wake up, Lizzie! You know that he's loved you for a very long time… Even Kate realizes this, and she…"

Miranda stopped. She had spoken too much. But luckily she stopped before revealing Kate's feelings for Gordo. Anyway, Lizzie hadn't listened to the last words, because she started to feel her head spinning, and her heart beating so hard, that she thought it was going to come out from her chest.

"It can't be…"… Lizzie said, completely flabbergasted. She would never expect what she heard. Was it possible that Gordo felt the same way?

Miranda had spoken too much, and there wasn't a way to make the things she said return to her mouth.

"Yes, it can be…and it is! So decide once and for all to talk with him. Don't lose any more time. I've already told you!" Miranda said, feeling exasperated.

At that moment, Miranda started to feel really worried. Since Gordo told her what Kate had done, Kate was silent and strange. She hadn't talked with anybody that day. She didn't talk even with Claire. That silence was disturbing. She hadn't even bothered Lizzie that day, and that was something Kate had never stopped doing these last months. Suddenly, Miranda got a bad feeling about everything that was happening. It was certain Kate was plotting something. And she felt pressed to urge Lizzie to talk with Gordo about their feelings.

"Please, please, talk to him…" Miranda said.

"Good… I will." Lizzie answered.

**- s-**

Gordo arrived home. It was 4 o'clock, and remembered he had to go to the City Film Club meeting at 6, and he couldn't miss it. He would be there until 9 o'clock. So he changed his clothes, ate some snacks and left, saying goodbye to his mother.

While he was walking, he thought of Lizzie.

"Mhhhhh…"

Gordo sighed. Could he think about anything else? About someone else? Maybe he could take his worries away at the club… That was the only place in which he could forget about his crisis.

He was so absentminded that when he turned a corner he hit someone, and made that person drop the bag she carried, and the things that were inside that bag scattered on the ground.

"I'm sorry!" he said as he tried to help that person to gather the things.

"Look your way, stupid!"

It was Kate.

"Kate, I'm sorry."

Kate stuttered.

"Shut up."

"Sorry…"

Kate picked up the things she was carrying in the bag. Those things were women things: lipsticks, little bottles of nail polish, a wig… A wig? Why would Kate want a wig? If he asked, he felt sure he would get slapped, or something like that. She was very angry.

"Bye, Kate."

She didn't answer. She only gave him a death stare… actually, a death stare mixed with a painful look. And left.

"_She's still mad at me. But it's not my fault."_ Gordo thought, as he arrived at the club.

**- s-**

"Well, here we go…"

Lizzie dialed Gordo's number and waited for an answer. She wasn't going to talk about her feelings by phone, that would not be good, but she wanted to at least hear his voice.

"Hello?" a voice said on the other side of the line.

"Good evening, Mrs. Gordon, it's Lizzie."

"Lizzie, honey, how have you been?"

"Fine, thanks you. I was wondering if Gordo is home."

"He's not here right now, Lizzie. He's at Film Club. He will be back at 9:30… Want to leave a message?"

Lizzie had forgotten completely that Gordo went to the Film Club on Tuesday nights.

"Uh… well… Please tell him I called, and tell him to call me back. Thanks Mrs. Gordon, good night."

"No problem, honey. Bye."

Lizzie hung up the phone. She could say she felt almost in despair. But she decided to calm down. So she went downstairs to the living room and found Matt on the sofa looking at a photo album.

"Hi, Matt, what are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just looking at some photos."

Lizzie sat down next to him and saw the album. There was a photo in which Lanny, Oscar and Matt, were wearing their school baseball team uniforms, and they were celebrating the victory of the District Championship. That had happened four months ago.

"I miss Lanny."

"I know. Life sometimes is unfair."

"Yes, and I wonder how he is right now."

"Don't worry about him. I'm sure he's fine and watching over each one of your steps."

"Thank you, Lizzie… "

"Hey, come here."

Lizzie hugged Matt. He felt consoled at hugging her sister. She felt happy being with her brother and forgetting her problems for a moment. Anyone who saw them in that moment might never realize how many conflicts they had had in the past.

**-s-**

It was 9:49. Gordo was leaving the Film Club. This meeting had been longer than usual. One of his friends had brought a really fantastic movie: The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. They watched it to psyching themselves up for the incoming new movie of the trilogy: The Return of the King, and the discussion of the movie was more extensive than it was supposed to be. Between sodas and laughter, time past like a supersonic train.

Gordo took the bus to go home. On the bus, he met someone. Someone he had known two years ago, and hadn't seen since then.

"Hi." Gordo said.

"Hi." the girl answered, dryly.

"How have you been? It's been a long time since the last time I saw you."

"Fine… and really, it has been a long time…"

""I heard you moved. Are you going to… Cresthaven High now? Because I've heard…"

"Bye, Gordo, I have to get off here," she interrupted. "Nice talkin' at ya."

"Uh… Bye."

Gordo thought that the attitude of the girl was pretty strange. Well, it didn't matter. But something attracted his attention: the bag she was carrying was very similar to the one Kate was carrying earlier in the afternoon.

When he arrived home, his parents were waiting for him.

"David, why are you so late?" his mother asked, as she tapped her wrist watch. It was 10:40 p.m.

"I'm sorry, mom…"

"Son." Howard said. "Why do you make us worry?"

"I'm sorry, dad. The meeting at the club was longer than the usual; I didn't realize what time it was."

"So, why didn't you call us by phone?"

"I couldn't."

"What's happening, David?" Roberta asked. "Lately you have been so silent, listless, now you give us this fright, and you never do that… what's wrong?

"Nothing, mom. Everything is fine. Really. Now I'll go do my homework."

"Right… but if you need something, just tell it. Oh, by the way, Lizzie called."

"Lizzie? When?" His face suddenly lit up.

"At 8 p.m, more or less. She wanted you to call her…"

"Thanks, Mom. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Won't you have dinner?"

"No, thanks. I'm not hungry."

He said that and went upstairs.

"David is worrying me." Roberta said.

"Nothing is wrong. It's the age. It's just a phase he's going through. We both know it. But we should keep an eye on him, and be there to support him, if he needs it." Howard said this, suspecting what might be going on in his teenager son's love life.

When Gordo was in his bedroom, he took the phone and dialed Lizzie's number. He thought maybe nobody would answer the phone. It was very late at night. But Sam answered.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Mr. McGuire. I'm sorry for calling so late, but, could I talk to Lizzie?"

"Gordo, how are you? Lizzie is already sleeping … but should I call her to talk with you? Is it urgent?"

"Uh, no, thanks. Just tell her I called."

"Ok, Gordo. Anything else?"

"No. Thanks, Mr. McGuire. Good night."

"Bye, Gordo."

_-beep-_

Gordo hung up the phone. "I will invite her to Parker's party tomorrow. Now, I have to do my homework."

And he sat down on the chair at his desk, and battled with his books until 2 o'clock in the morning.

**-s-**

The next day, Kate arrived at school with a big smile on her face. But it wasn't a happiness smile. It was the smile she had when she was about to get whatever she wanted. Someone was accompanying her, trying to stay unnoticed. Both Kate and the girl entered to the girl's bathroom. After a few seconds, Kate left and walked through the lockers corridor, looking for Lizzie. When she found her, she went to where she was. Lizzie was gathering his books for the first class. One of her books fell to the floor.

"Hi, Lizzie, what are you doing? Starting a new day of awkward things to do?"

Lizzie ignored her.

"Didn't you listen to me?"

Miranda arrived.

"Kate, I'm so _UN-glad_ to see you" Miranda said, as sarcastically as she could.

"Don't interfere, little stupid girl. Have a nice day," Kate answered, with an accent of hypocrisy and wickedness, the two things at the same time. And she left.

"That Kate…" Lizzie mumbled, clenching her teeth.

"Let's go, Lizzie, don't pay attention to her," Miranda suggested.

Kate went back to the girl's bathroom.

"I'm happy to see how much advantage you can take from McGuire's lack of fashion sense!"

"I am happy to have conserved these clothes," the girl responded.

"Yes. Get dressed with this."

"Do you have the key to the bathroom?"

"Here it is."

Once the girl was dressed, she put the wig on her head. Kate made up her face and combed the wig, and after that they left the bathroom. Kate closed the door and locked it, so nobody could enter and find the things they had left there and would pick up later.

"Good. Right now there must be nobody walking by the corridors, we are in the middle of the period. Andie, go where I told you. I'll call you on your cell phone to give the signal to do what we planned."

"Ok."

They separated and Andie went to where Kate had indicated. She was very nervous, and walked looking behind her, so she didn't realized that someone was at one of the lockers, and she ran into him.

"Lizzie, why aren't you at class?" Larry Tudgeman asked, confused. Larry had missed the first period because he was preparing a surprise for Miranda. Andie hid her face behind the hair of the wig, so Larry couldn't see clearly her face, and, of course, didn't realized that who was in front of him wasn't Lizzie really. The disguise was simply perfect.

"I don't feel good."

"You got a cold?" he asked. "Your voice sounds a little funny."

"It's nothing. Bye."

The girl continued walking.

"Weird…" Larry thought.

Meanwhile, Lizzie was in the classroom, listening to the teacher. She asked her teacher permission to leave for a few moments. She had to go to bathroom to take her medicine for her allergy. Last week at a restaurant with her family, the chef accidentally put oyster sauce on her food, and when she ate it, she had an allergic reaction. Now so she had to take her medicine everyday at that hour, for two weeks, and Kate knew this. Once the permission was granted, she left the classroom. Gordo, from his desk, looked at Lizzie, and didn't know why he felt so perturbed. Miranda was feeling the same.

As Lizzie was leaving, Kate, from a corner, saw her and dialed a number in her cell phone.

"Andie, now!"

Andie went to corridor the Principal's Office and greased the floor, making sure that she was being filmed by the security camera that was in front of the corridor. After that, she left.

Lizzie walked by the corridor, heading towards the girl's bathroom, and she met Larry.

"Hi, Larry… hey, wait, why aren't you in class?"

"Oh… Hi, Lizzie, I am… hey, _you_ wait, what are you doing here? I saw you here a few moments ago and you told me you weren't feeling good…"

"Me? Impossible! I just left the classroom… Surely you mistook that person for me…"

"No, of course I didn't. I'm not crazy."

"I didn't say you were. I just came here... By the way, what is that you have there?"

"Nothing, nothing…"

"Oh, nothing?" Lizzie asked, giving him a suspicious look.

"Nothing, really."

"Well, if you insist… See you later."

"Bye."

**-s-**

The new Principal, Mr. Freeman, was in his office. Ms. Ungermayer had left the post a few weeks ago, so he was becoming accustomed to his new job. He needed some reports from the Archive, so he stood up and walked to the door. When he opened the door and gave a step, he slipped on the floor.

"Awwww!" he cried as he fell.

Mr. Dig was walking near that corridor, he heard the cry and went to see what was going on.

"Mr. Freeman! What…?"

"Mr. Dig, help me!"

Mr. Dig tried to get him up, but the Principal moaned in pain.

"My arm, I think it's broken…!"

"How did you fall?"

"I don't know… I slipped…" He saw the floor. "The floor has been greased… Someone wanted to play a joke on me… And believe me! I'm going to find out who that person is!. Please call the nurse. After that, we will check the security camera tape of this corridor. Whoever did this will be expelled from this school!"

Mr. Dig wondered who could have done such a thing.

**-s-**

When Lizzie arrived at the girl's bathroom, she found it locked. Larry saw her trying to open the door. When she saw it was locked, she went back to class.

"Are you sure there's nothing going on?" Lizzie asked Larry again, with an "I-know-what-are-you-doing" tone of voice and giving him a knowing look.

"Yeah, everything's fine… Go back to class, I'll see you later."

"Ok." Lizzie said, and walked to the classroom.

Larry closed his locker and heard a cry from the corridors. He turned and looked in all directions, and saw Lizzie entering the classroom that moment. The cry came from another place. He didn't care much about that because he was preparing the surprise for Miranda, and he didn't want someone asking him about what he was doing, so he went to the patio until the beginning of the next period.

Kate went to meet Andie, this time, at the janitor's closet.

"Did you hear the cry? Lizzie wasn't at the class when it happened. I think she already has got into trouble… hehehe. Now, stay here, I'll go to the bathroom to pick up the things we left there. Did anyone see you?"

Andie hesitated.

"No… nobody saw me," she said and grinned mischievously, trying to make her lie believable.

"Well. Now, Lizzie is about being expelled from school."

Kate went to the bathroom, Kate and Andie went out of the school, with evil smiles on their faces.

_"See, McGuire. Phase I completed. Phase II coming this afternoon. I'm so happy to be able to know what are you going to do… you're so predictable." _Kate thought. But in that moment, a voice inside her told her that what she had done was wrong. A voice like… Lizzie's voice. But she ignored it.

A few minutes after that, as Lizzie was attending her classes, Mr. Dig, feeling sad and confused, was going to the classroom to find her. To take her to the Vice Principal to talk about what they had seen in the tape of the security camera of the corridor of Principal's Office.

- - - - -

_So, what you think about it? Please review. Wait for next chapter._


	7. Expelled

_Hi everyone._

_I know. It has been a long time since the last update. I'm sorry for that._

_I'm considering changing the name of this story to "Why can't I tell you what I feel?", I think it sounds better and has the same sense of the story and the current title. If I do it, don't get alarmed. The story remains being the same._

_This is a long chapter. So, get comfortable and read._

_- - - - - - - - - - - - -_

**Chapter VII: Expelled**

Someone knocked at the door of the 10th grade classroom.

"Mr. Patterson," the History teacher said, pointing to the door. "Please get that."

The boy did what the teacher ordered. Mr. Dig was at the door.

"Ms. O'Connell, I need to take Miss McGuire to the Vice-Principal's Office for a while. Her presence has been requested there." He said this in a serious tone that scared everyone who was in the room.

And when Lizzie heard that, she jumped up, startled. Gordo and Miranda gave each other looks of surprise as did the rest of the class. Why Lizzie, to the Vice-Principal's office?

"Me?" Lizzie said in a low voice.

"Yes."

"You heard that, Miss McGuire," The history teacher said. "Go with Mr. Dig to see why they need you there."

"But... but…"

"Let's go now. Please," Mr Dig asked.

Lizzie got up from her desk, as everyone looked her. When someone is called to go to the Vice-Principal's office, it only can mean that something really good or something really bad has happened. And Mr. Dig's visage didn't give a sign that they needed her there to give her a medal or something like that. She left then, accompanying Mr. Dig.

Miranda y Gordo whispered.

_"Why do you think they need Lizzie there? When they ask you to go there nothing good can be happening…" _ Miranda said.

_"I don't know… I'm worried… I don't have a clue why Lizzie was taken there… I only hope she'll be fine… Oh, my God, what happened?" _

The teacher heard the whispers, and addressed them:

"Mr. Gordon, Miss Sanchez, you'd better stay quiet if you don't want to be taken out of this class."

"Sorry..." they said.

Gordo thought: _"Lizzie, Lizzie, what's happening?"_

**-s-**

As Lizzie walked with her teacher, she asked:

"Mr. Dig… Why has Mr. Adams called me?"

"Lizzie, why did you do such a terrible thing? I never thought of you being capable of doing what you have done…"

"Do what? What are you taking about?"

"Lizzie, please… I always thought you were a good and calm girl. I feel really sad for you. I really don't understand."

"Mr. Dig, please don't confuse me more… I don't know what's the matter here… what terrible thing do you think I did?"

Mr. Dig was about answer, when they arrived at the Vice-Principal's Office.

"Miss McGuire," the vice-principal said, as he thumbed the sheets of a folder. "Sit down, please."

Lizzie obeyed mechanically. A storm of doubts was untied inside her mind. Why the heck was the good girl McGuire there?

"Well," the Vice-Principal said. "The act of indiscipline committed by you pushed the boundaries, someone has been hurt. I really don't like to do this, but I must inform you that you have been expelled from this school. I'll…"

"Wait!" Lizzie said. "I don't know what's going on here, but I'd like someone to tell me why I'm here. With all respect, Sir, I haven't done anything to be expelled. For heaven's sake, what's happening?"

"Miss McGuire, you know it well. Please..."

"I tell you, I don't know!"

"Miss McGuire, you greased the floor of the exit of the Principal's Office, and when he came out, he fell and broke his arm. Now he has been taken to the hospital to receive the appropriate treatment. And those responsible for this action must be punished. I thought you were too grown up to be still making these kinds of jokes, even when you know someone can be hurt."

"Sir, I swear, I haven't done anything like what you are saying!" Lizzie said, almost crying.

"Right. See it for yourself. Mr. Dig, put the tape in the VCR."

The teacher took the tape that was on the desk and put it in the VCR. Then the images started to run. Lizzie's mouth almost hit the floor in astonishment as she viewed the video. That girl was… her… greasing the floor, and after that, the Principal coming out of the office and falling, and touching his arm, which seemed to be hurt.

"It can't be… it can't be… that girl is not me…" Lizzie said, crying.

"The images don't lie, Miss McGuire. Now you have to face the consequences of your actions."

"Mr. Adams, I swear, I didn't do that!"

"I'm sorry, Ms. McGuire. I'll call your father."

"No, please, there's a mistake here…"

"There's no mistake. You did it last period. I'll call Ms. O'Conell to prove it. You must have come out of the classroom this period. Mr. Dig, please tell Ms. O'Connell to come here."

"Yes, sir," he said, and left.

Mr. Adams asked Lizzie for Sam's work phone number. After telling him, Lizzie started to cry again.

"_My God, who did this and is trying to blame me? And why?"_ Lizzie thought.

**-s-**

The bell rang, indicating the end of the period, when Mr. Dig arrived at Lizzie's classroom.

"Well, students," Ms. O'Connell said. "See you tomorrow. Please study today's lesson for the exam."

Dig entered the classroom and asked the teacher to go with him to Mr. Adams's office. Then Miranda and Gordo approached him to ask him about Lizzie.

"Mr. Dig," Gordo said, "why did you take Lizzie to the Vice-Principal's Office?"

"Yes, Mr. Dig., what happened?" Miranda asked.

"Lizzie has done something very wrong. Something I never thought she could do. Now she will be expelled from school."

"WHAT!" the two friends asked with one voice. Miranda asked: "What is it Lizzie did? She can't have done anything bad… surely they are misunderstanding things…. What do they think Lizzie did?"

"She made the Principal fall in the corridor by his office, and he broke his arm in the accident. The security cams caught her while she was greasing the floor, and she did it during last period. She came out from the classroom at least one time during that period, didn't she?"

Both Miranda and Gordo were completely thunderstruck. In fact, Lizzie had asked for permission from her teacher to leave the classroom for a moment. Gordo answered:

"Yes, she left the classroom one time, but…"

"You see? I didn't want to believe either, but the evidence is on the tape... I'm sorry, I also feel grieved for all this, but Mr. Adams has made a decision, and he's about to call Sam McGuire to notify him."

Some tears were drawn on Miranda's eyes. A puzzled expression came to Gordo's face.

"I'm sorry…" Mr. Dig said, as he exited the room with Ms. O'Connell.

"It can't be... Lizzie is incapable of doing that… Someone else has to have done that. It's obvious someone is plotting against her." Gordo said.

"But… Gordo… Mr. Dig says they have the evidence, and indeed she left the classroom for a while…"

"What? How can you think Lizzie did that?"

"Sorry… I didn't want to doubt Lizzie…"

"You shouldn't. Now we've got to figure out how to help her. Though they say they have the evidence, I don't believe it. I can't believe this. We will find out who's behind everything."

"Well." Miranda said. "But let's pick up Lizzie's stuff. The period has finished."

"Ok. Let's go to Mr. Adams's office."

**-s-**

"Mr. Dig, why are we going to the Vice-Principal's office?" Ms. O'Connell asked.

Mr. Dig told her what had happened that morning. She couldn't believe it. And they arrived at the office.

"Ms. O'Connell," Mr. Adams said. "I suppose Mr. Dig informed you of the reason you've been called here. Now tell us: Lizzie McGuire left the classroom during this period?"

"Well… yes, she did."

"So, let's not discuss this anymore. I'll call Mr. McGuire. I'm sorry, Lizzie."

In that moment Gordo and Miranda arrived at the office.

"Miranda! Gordo!" Lizzie said.

"Students, what can I do for you?" Mr. Adams asked.

"We need to talk to you." Gordo answered. "Lizzie is not guilty of what you accuse her."

"Sorry, students, but it isn't open to debate. There is evidence that shows Lizzie is guilty. Now go back to your classes. The next period must have started now."

"But, sir…" Miranda begged.

"I've told you. Or do you have proof to prove the contrary?" he said, feeling slightly angry.

Gordo wanted to speak, but he stopped dead. He didn't have any proof.

"You have to listen to us, see…" Gordo said, but Mr. Adams interrupted him.

"Go to your next class." The Vice-Principal said. He was reluctant to listen.

"Well," Gordo said, irritated, then he addressed Lizzie. "But Lizzie, I promise you, I'll get you out of this. I believe in you, and I know you didn't do it."

"Mr. Gordon, please go now. I don't want to have to reprimand you, when you are such a good student." Mr. Adams threatened.

Everyone felt the tension floating in the air. Lizzie, Miranda, Mr. Dig and Ms. O'Connell felt scared, looking at Gordo and Mr. Adams. Gordo was feeling really angry, but he decided to obey. If he wanted to help Lizzie, he'd better not get into trouble.

"Fine. Let's go, Miranda."

Miranda followed Gordo, and said to Lizzie: "Here is your knapsack, Lizzie. Everything will be fine. I promise."

"Thanks, Miranda. I hope the same."

They left the office. As they headed towards their next class, they tried to figure out who could have done this thing intending to get Lizzie in so much trouble.

"I'm sure it has something to do with the witch, Kate." Miranda said, without hesitation. "That snake enjoys making Lizzie's life torture"

"That's the most probable thing, Miranda." Gordo answered. "She has not come to classes today, but that doesn't mean anything.

"I can't believe Lizzie will be expelled from school… I can't…" Miranda said with a little voice." Some tears slid down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, Miranda. I tell, you, we'll solve this problem and will help Lizzie to get through this. Now let's hurry, or we will be late for our next class."

At the same time, Larry Tudgeman was going to class, and when he saw Miranda crying and Gordo worried, he confirmed what he had heard, the rumors about Lizzie and Mr. Freeman's accident. Now he understood where the cry he heard had come from when he was at his locker. He didn't believe Lizzie did that, not at least by what he had seen.

"Hi, guys…" Larry said approaching Gordo and Miranda. "I know what happened."

"Hi, Larry, don't you think it's unfair? You think Lizzie could do anything like that?"

"Of course, she wouldn't. Lizzie is a good-hearted girl and she's not capable of hurting somebody in that way."

"Larry, please help us to solve all this… Gordo and I are sure that someone else did it, not Lizzie, please help me to find the responsible person…"

The expression in Miranda's black eyes touched Larry, more than anyone else's sight would have done. He decided to help them. Besides, it was his duty as Lizzie's friend.

"Of course I'll help you. We've got work to do."

"Right, Tudgeman. Let's talk about this at lunch," Gordo said.

"Well. Now let's sit down, the teacher just arrived."

The three teens sat down, and as they were listening in the classroom, they tried to put together the pieces of the puzzle, a puzzle they would resolve at any price.

**-s-**

Meanwhile, Sam arrived at the school. He didn't understand why he had been called there. Lizzie was a role model and she didn't cause any trouble. She had proved that these last months. She was completely responsible, she didn't fight with her brother anymore, and she could stay home alone and take perfect control of the situation. She got good grades at school… well…

When he arrived at Vice-principal's Office, Sam McGuire met Lizzie and she hugged him, with tears in her eyes. Mr. Adams told him about the events of this morning and showed him the video that incriminated Lizzie. But when the teacher finished his explanation, Sam didn't believe it. They discussed for a while.

"Mr. Adams, I know my daughter and I can tell you the person who is in the video is not my daughter. Someone is impersonating her."

"Mr. McGuire, there's no mistake. The proof is indisputable."

"You can say whatever you want, but that's not my daughter."

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing left to do."

Lizzie looked his father with an anguished look. She said "Let's go, Dad. Any effort is vain. I'd better pick up my stuff and we should go…"

"Mr. Adams, please…" Sam said.

"Mr. McGuire, believe me, I hate doing this, but I can't leave unpunished this indiscipline act."

"Well…" said Sam, giving up.

Lizzie and Sam got up from their chairs and left the office.

"Dad, I don't know who did this… now that I'm expelled I won't be able to see Miranda and Gordo everyday…"

"Don't worry, Lizzie. Nothing will change between you. But I don't understand yet who did that…"

Lizzie thought: _"Kate…"_

She didn't want to blame her… but… who besides Kate tried so hard to make her life miserable? Nobody else, at least, nobody else she knew.

**-s-**

Time continued passing. At fourth period Miranda, Gordo and Larry knew Lizzie had been expelled from school already, and that Sam had took her home.

At lunch, the three sit at a table in the cafeteria to talk.

"Well, guys, what have you thought about all this?" Miranda asked.

"Mr. Adams said that supposedly Lizzie did that during first period. Tell me, how many times Lizzie left the classroom at first period?" Larry asked.

"Just one, to take her medicine." Gordo answered.

"Well, during the first period I was at the corridor and saw her two times…"

"Two times? That's impossible! Lizzie left the classroom just one time!" Miranda exclaimed.

"The weirdest thing about this is that the first time, she didn't want to look me directly in the eyes, her voice sounded… I don't know… a little funny… and the second time I saw her, it surprised me to see her passing by there again and when I asked her how she had done that, she told me it was the first time she left the classroom…. So…"

"…So, you suggest someone was pretending to be her." Gordo finished.

"Exactly. Lizzie left the classroom to go to the bathroom, but she found it closed. I saw her trying to open the door. She didn't go anywhere else. If she only came out from the classroom just one time, it's impossible it was her who played that joke on Mr. Freeman."

"But, Larry, didn't you see clearly who the first 'Lizzie' you met was?" Miranda asked.

"No. I told you she didn't let me clearly see her face. But her clothes and her hair were identical to Lizzie's, I saw well. Her height was the same as Lizzie. Without considering her voice and her strange attitude, I would swear the first person I saw was indeed Lizzie."

"So, we can say that someone has imitated Lizzie," Miranda concluded. "But tell me, Larry, what were you doing outside? Why did you miss the first class?"

Larry blushed.

"Eh… uh… well… Miranda, why do you ask that? That's not important now. What is important now is to know how to prove the girl on the tape is not Lizzie."

Miranda and Gordo looked at Larry suspiciously. But since he was helping them, it wasn't probable Larry would be plotting something. Besides, as everybody knows, it's Tudgeman…

"Well, but I'm sure Mr. Adams won't give us the tape," Gordo said.

The three stayed silent for a while, thinking.

"What if we 'borrow' it without Mr. Adams noticing? Gordo, we can take it to your house and analyze it with your video-editing program!" Miranda proposed.

The two boys looked at her with a surprised look. Larry said:

"That's a good idea but… you want we steal it?"

"No! I just said we could 'borrow' it! We'll take it back after."

"But, how?"

"We could come tonight to school and take the tape. And the tape of the camera that watches the locker's corridor! That way, we will be able to see what really happened!"

"Right, but what if they catch us? Then we will have to join Lizzie looking for a new school!" Gordo said.

"Nobody will catch us! We'll be careful! And we'll figure out a way to sneak into the office without the guards noticing… and why are you worried? I'm talking with the smartest boys in tenth grade, maybe of all the school! We'll do it!" Miranda said, smiling.

"Well." Gordo said at last. "What's the plan?"

"Basically: We will come tonight, jump over the fence, enter through the store rooms behind the gym, look for the keys in the janitor's office, enter the office of the Vice-Principal to take the tape, find the other tape at the security room and leave again where we entered. Are you with me?"

Gordo sighed.

"Fine. We'll do it."

"I'm also with you. I'll prove my well-known James Bond's skills!" Larry joked.

Gordo and Miranda looked at him with a "cut-that-out" look.

"What? Can't I make a joke?"

Miranda laughed. Gordo shook his head and smiled.

"Tudgeman…" the two said.

**-s-**

At the end of the day, Miranda and Gordo came out from school.

"Let's go, Gordo. Lizzie needs us." Miranda said.

"Let's go," he answered.

They called their houses to tell their parents they would be later at home, and walked towards Lizzie's house.

When they arrived at the McGuire house, Jo welcomed them.

"Miranda, Gordo, I'm so glad to see you! Come in, please."

"Thanks, Mrs. McGuire." Gordo said. "We've come to see how is Lizzie."

"She's feeling sad... everything has been so sudden… when I first heard it, I really doubted whether or nor Lizzie did it… with a proof like the one the Vice-Principal had, I think anyone would have doubted, but Sam told me what he saw, and he says the girl on the video isn't Lizzie."

"We don't think it was her either."

"I'll cook something for you. Lizzie is in the backyard."

The two friends went to where Lizzie was. She was sitting on the little stairs of the terrace in the backyard.

"Lizzie…" Miranda called.

Lizzie turned back to look, and when she saw them, she ran to give them a hug.

"Miranda, Gordo, thanks for coming…"

"Lizzie, I know this could sound stupid, but… are you feeling better?" Miranda asked.

"Yeah, a little. I guess I'm getting used to the idea of going to a new school."

"That never!" Gordo exclaimed. "Do you remember what we promised when we finished 8th grade? That we would finish together high school?"

"But, Gordo, I was expelled! I can't return to Hillridge High! Somebody faked me and the cameras caught that person! I can't to anything against that!"

"Of course _we_ can! Miranda, Tudgeman and I will track down the culpable…"

"How?"

"We have a plan. And I promise: we'll find out who did that as soon as we can, we'll clean your name and we'll make sure that person is punished!"

"But…"

"There's nothing left to say, Lizzie. Trust us. Trust me…"

Gordo looked at her with a tender look, and Lizzie gazed him the same way. Upon seeing that, Miranda realized she probably should be anywhere but there at that moment, so she said:

"Ehmm… eh… I… I'll go to see if Mrs. McGuire needs help in the kitchen… I'll be back in a while."

"Well." Gordo answered. And with a thankful look, without words, he said her: _"Miranda, you're fantastic!"_

Once they were alone, Lizzie started speaking.

"Gordo, I'm felling terrible with all this…"

"Me too."

"I don't want to go to a different school… I don't want to get away from Miranda and you…"

"That won't happen. I promise."

"Thank you."

A silence made its way between them. An uncomfortable silence.

"Lizzie." Gordo said, at last.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't know if even with all this that's happened, you're still thinking about going to Parker's party."

"I asked my parents yesterday… and they told me I could go. But I don't know if they want it now… I myself don't know if I want to go… I don't want to face the strange looks of everybody from school... the same looks they gave me when I was coming out of the school with my father. I know, you always have told me I shouldn't care about what people say, but I don't think I could stand it…"

"Lizzie, don't worry…"

She gazed him again. He breathed deeply and continued speaking.

"Lizzie, if I could fix everything like I've promised you, well, before Friday… would you like to go with me to Parker's party?"

"_Lucky guy or dead guy I am…" _Gordo thought, as he felt time stopping.

Lizzie felt happy, she hoped everything could be fixed, she was hoping go to that party with Gordo.

After a few seconds, seconds that seemed like centuries for Gordo, Lizzie finally said:

"Sure… I'd like to."

"_Sure… I'd like to…_

_Sure… I'd like to…_

_Sure… I'd like to…"_

The phrase resounded inside Gordo's mind.

"Really, Lizzie?" Gordo exclaimed, excited. But he realized that that reaction was too exaggerated for a simple acceptance from Lizzie to go with him to a dance, so immediately he said:

"Eh… I mean… Thanks, Lizzie. We're going to have a lot of fun."

"Yeah…" she answered.

He wanted so badly to hug her, that he couldn't restrain himself from doing it. Lizzie did the same.

They remained hugging for a while, when the heard a voice behind them, a voice in a tone that made them feel a chill running through their bodies.

"Hi, McGuire" someone hissed, wickedly.

Lizzie and Gordo turned back to look.

It was Kate.

- - - - - - - - - - -


	8. I Know Who’s the Culprit

_Hi!_

_I'm really sorry for the delay. But college is Hell, you know? I haven't had time to continue this, life has been so hectic…_

_Special thanks to my dear friend DearLizzie (hehehe), who helped me beta-reading this chapter. I'd also like to invite everyone to read his story "The Long and Winding Road", it's great. _

_Ryan, man, you ROCK!_

_- - - - - - - - - - - - -_

**Chapter VIII: I Know Who's the Culprit**

_**-s-**_

_"Lizzie." Gordo said, at last._

"_What's the matter?"_

"_I don't know if even with all this that's happened, you're still thinking about going to Parker's party."_

"_I asked my parents yesterday… and they told me I could go. But I don't know if they want it now… I myself don't know if I want to go… I don't want to face the strange looks of everybody from school... the same looks they gave me when I was coming out of the school with my father. I know, you always have told me I shouldn't care about what people say, but I don't think I could stand it…"_

"_Lizzie, don't worry…"_

_She gazed him again. He breathed deeply and continued speaking._

"_Lizzie, if I could fix everything like I've promised you, well, before Friday… would you like to go with me to Parker's party?"_

"_Lucky guy or dead guy I am…" Gordo thought, as he felt time stopping._

_Lizzie felt happy, she hoped everything could be fixed, she was hoping go to that party with Gordo._

_After a few seconds, seconds that seemed like centuries for Gordo, Lizzie finally said:_

"_Sure… I'd like to."_

_The phrase resounded inside Gordo's mind._

"_Really, Lizzie?" Gordo exclaimed, excited. But he realized that that reaction was too exaggerated for a simple acceptance from Lizzie to go with him to a dance, so immediately he said:_

"_Eh… I mean… Thanks, Lizzie. We're going to have a lot of fun."_

"_Yeah…" she answered._

_He wanted so badly to hug her, that he couldn't restrain himself from doing it. Lizzie did the same._

_They remained hugging for a while, when the heard a voice behind them, a voice in a tone that made them feel a chill running through their bodies._

"_Hi, McGuire" someone hissed, wickedly._

_Lizzie and Gordo turned back to look._

_It was Kate._

_**-s-**_

After leaving Lizzie and Gordo, Miranda walked into the kitchen to find Mrs. McGuire, but Jo wasn't there. Miranda guessed Lizzie's mom would be upstairs, so she went up to there. Indeed, she found her at Lizzie's room.

"Mrs. McGuire"

"Hey, Miranda, I have to finish folding Lizzie's blankets, and then I'll go to the kitchen to prepare a snack for you guys. Could you help me to finish it quicker?"

"Sure." Miranda replied.

They were in the middle of doing that when Miranda happened to utter:

"It's such a dilemma… what happened today."

"Yeah, it is… I guess we'll send Lizzie to Cresthaven High now. Sam and I will make the arrangements for the transfer and she will go to her new school starting next Monday."

"Cresthaven High?" Miranda asked. "Why there?"

"Well, it's the second nearest school from here after Hillridge High."

At hearing "Cresthaven High" the memory of someone came to Miranda's mind.

"Andie…" she whispered.

She remembered the way Andie pretended to be just like Lizzie when they started 8th grade, and how some people mistook her for Lizzie when she did it. She remembered how bad things finished between Lizzie and her, and how Andie became Kate's friend. She had heard some time ago that Andie was going to Cresthaven High.

"What?" Jo asked.

"Uh… nothing. But if there is any way of proving Lizzie's innocence, and we could pull it off, she shouldn't have to go there… she could stay at Hillridge High…right?"

"What do you mean?" Jo asked, suspiciously.

Miranda thought about telling Lizzie's mom the plan she had made with Gordo and Larry, but considered that she shouldn't know anything about that.

"Well, I don't know… Maybe Mr. Adams would change his mind, maybe we could find a way to show him Lizzie isn't guilty… I don't want Lizzie to go to another school…"

"I know, honey, but there's nothing we can do about it. Besides, I guess nothing will change between you three, you'll always be best friends."

Miranda thought this situation was pretty much the same as when Gordo was promoted to High School. But this time, the person who had to go to a new school, didn't go there for a good reason.

"Well, that's true…" she said, as she continued folding blankets.

**-s-**

"Kate, what are you doing here?" Gordo questioned, surprised. Lately she would freak him out by appearing at the most unexpected moments.

"Well," Kate answered. "I heard about what happened at school today. I just wanted to come by to say I'm really sorry about what happened, Lizzie." she said this in an incredibly faked tone.

A devilish smile was on her face. Gordo, at listening and seeing her, knew Kate wasn't plotting something good. And he wasn't wrong.

"Thanks, Kate." Lizzie said, dryly. The last hours she had been thinking about the possible culprit responsible for her expulsion from school. And the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced of Kate's guilt. _"There wasn't really anyone else in the world who wanted to turn her life into a disaster.. right?"_ She thought hard. She tried to think of anyone else who hated her so much without a decent reason behind it all.

"No big deal, Lizzie." Kate continued speaking, walking towards them, and sitting down next to Gordo. "I'm sure you'll find a new school so you can start over from the beginning. Maybe you could have better luck there. Maybe you could be popular. Or…"

"Kate, please stop." Gordo said, starting to feel irritated for her obvious lack of caring for Lizzie's situation. "Lizzie is going to return to Hillridge High. She wasn't involved with what they're blaming her for. So, she won't have to find a new school. I'll take care of that. I'll find the real person responsible and I'll make sure he or she receives the consequences of their actions!" he finished, in a loud voice.

At listening this, Kate felt pretty scared. Gordo was taking this very seriously. What if he found out she was behind everything? She tried to hide her surprise and continued talking.

"Awww… Gordo, you're always so sweet. It's so nice that you want to help Lizzie to get out of trouble… She couldn't get any luckier having a friend like you."

Lizzie heard this, and turned back violently to see why in the world Kate would be saying those things to Gordo.

Gordo started to feel a tad uncomfortable about Kate's tone of voice. She held him by the arm.

"Lizzie, I'd like to have one like the one you have…" Kate said, referring to Gordo. "Where did you get him?"

Now, Lizzie and Gordo were looking at her. Lizzie, feeling angry, Gordo, feeling embarrassed.

"What do you mean?" Lizzie asked.

"Come on, Lizzie, I mean, one like Gordo"

"Kate, please, stop your nonsense…" Gordo demanded, trying to get her off of him.

"Does it bother you that someone says nice things about you?" Kate asked.

"No, but…"

"Well, I just wanted to get something from you."

"Something from… me? What?" Gordo asked nervously.

"This…"

With a fast move, she put her hand on Gordo's cheek, pulled him to her and kissed him shortly on the lips, in front of a completely astonished Lizzie.

"But… Kate! What the hell are you doing?" Lizzie shouted. "And, Gordo, why did you let her do that?"

"Doh… wha… eh…" Gordo babbled, trying to understand what just happened, frowning, wiping his lips.

"Well, I'm done here, McGuire. It's been _real._ See you later Gordo…" Kate said. Then she stood up and walked towards the door.

In that moment Miranda was going to where Lizzie and Gordo were. But at meeting Kate, she stopped in front of her and blocked her way out.

"Kate…? I'd like to know what you are doing here, you snake. Did you come to make fun of Lizzie? Did you come to rub what happened at school in her face?"

"That's not your business, _dorkerella_. I'm leaving right now."

Miranda tried to slap her, but when she raised her hand and directed it towards Kate's face, the blonde girl held her hand just before getting to her cheek.

The two were staring directly into each others eyes, their faces were separated only by a few inches. Miranda's eyes were injected with blood, and a scorned look were on Kate's ones.

"You'd better stay quiet, _Randa_." Kate said, and released her hand. Then she pushed past Miranda and was gone.

Miranda saw Kate leaving the house, and then she ran to where Lizzie and Gordo were.

"Lizzie, are you okay?" she asked.

"Actually… I'm not…" Lizzie muttered, with a painful expression on her face. She got up and left, running towards her bedroom.

"Lizzie, wait!" Gordo pleaded. But Lizzie didn't stop. Jo was going down by the stairs, Lizzie bumped into her.

"Lizzie?"

Her daughter didn't pay attention and went into her bedroom, and locked herself there.

"Gordo… what happened?" Miranda asked.

"Something that hasn't quite sunk in yet…"

"What?" Miranda asked impatiently.

"Kate… kissed… me…" Gordo managed to utter out, still shocked and awed by what had happened.

Miranda opened her mouth in amazement, trying to say something, but she was unable to do so.

"Damn! She caught me unawares… I didn't think she was going to do something like that!" Gordo said.

"Oh no, I can't believe it… Let's go to see if Lizzie is fine, come on!"

They went to find Lizzie, and Jo stopped them.

"Who were you arguing with, Miranda? What's going on? Why has Lizzie locked herself in her bedroom?"

Gordo lowered his head and Miranda explained, "Kate was there and she came to bother Lizzie… to rub it in about what happened and.."

"Oh, no…" Jo said, shaking her head. "I don't know what to do. It's got to stop. Lizzie always tells me Kate annoys her… let's go to see how Lizzie is…"

Once at Lizzie's door, they called for her.

"Lizzie…" Jo said.

"Leave me alone!"

"Lizzie, please…" Miranda begged.

"Leave me alone, I said!"

"Lizzie, please, open the door…" Gordo pleaded.

There was no response. They only heard Lizzie sobbing.

"There's no use in continuing to call her. Let's wait her until she calms down." Jo suggested. "Come on, guys. Let's go to the kitchen."

They went down. Miranda nudged Gordo and whispered, "You've got to explain everything…!"

"Okay, okay…" he answered.

**-s-**

Miranda and Gordo stayed at the McGuire house for a while, and Lizzie was still refusing to talk to anybody.

"Well, Mrs. McGuire" Miranda said. "We'll go. I'll call Lizzie later to try to talk. Please take care of her."

"No problem, Miranda. I'm sure she'll talk when she is calmed down."

"Goodbye, Mrs. McGuire" Gordo said.

"Bye, guys."

Gordo and Mirada crossed the porch and started walking down the street.

"Now, Gordo, tell me exactly what happened there, please."

Gordo breathed deep and said, "See… Lizzie and I were talking… I was comforting her, trying to brighten her up. Then I managed to ask her to go with me to Parker's party and…"

"You invited her?" Miranda asked bluntly.

"Yeah, I did. But…" Gordo sit down on the edge of the pathway and put his elbows on his knees. "I'm so confused now…"

"Gordo…" Miranda whispered and kneeled by the side of him.

"I'm so confused… I managed to invite her… I have to admit that although I was desperate to do it, at that very moment I found it really hard, but I did it… and I hugged her. Then I thought there was no reason to remain silent any longer. Why should I wait to the party to do it? So I was going to tell her how much I love her… I was ready to tell her that I've always loved her…"

Gordo had to struggle to hold back his sobs. But he failed.

"Gordo, please don't..." Miranda said, wrapping her arms around Gordo.

"Then Kate shown up. I knew she wasn't up to anything good. She started to talk to Lizzie in a patronising kind of way… then she talked to me in a very flirtatious way, soon after, she held my arm. And I tried to get rid of her, but I couldn't… and you know the rest. Lizzie must hate me right now."

"Lizzie would never hate you! And you see? You know the reason for Lizzie getting so angry? She _loves_ you!" Miranda assured.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Gordo repeated. "Why can't I tell her how I feel? Why?"

"The opportunity will come, I'm sure… now we have to get ready to start our plan, we have to get the videotapes… so why don't you go home and change your clothes? Wear black ones. I'll call Larry, he said to me he'd get us walkie-talkies and a lockpick, or any sort of master key…, and we will finish making the plan for tonight."

"Ok, whatever you say…"

"And Gordo, please, calm down, I'll talk to Lizzie. Everything's gonna be okay"

They both got up. Miranda had to admit that it was a bit weird situation. Gordo, almost crying… whoa, that was something she had never expected to see. Gordo always used to be the one of the three that would keep it all inside and not let anyone see him hurting.

"Thanks, Miranda." He said and hugged her.

Then they went their different ways heading to their respective houses.

**-s-**

Lizzie had stopped crying in her bedroom.

_"Why did I react that way?"_ She thought to herself. She knew Gordo would never mean to kiss Kate…

_"At the moment of the kiss he didn't do anything to pull her away!"_ saida voice inside her.

_"He was surprised, that's why he didn't react on time!" _she shot back to that little voice inside her head.

Jo knocked at Lizzie's door.

"Lizzie, sweetheart, please open the door, I want to talk to you!" she pleaded.

Lizzie thought that if there was anyone who she could talk with about all the things that had happened during the last few days, it was sure to be her mother. Maybe Matt also, but… she was a girl, and her mother would be able to understand her better.

She opened the door and hugged her mother, crying again.

Lizzie talked, talked, and talked. About her date at the Digital Bean with Gordo, about her failed tries to reveal him her true feelings, about how annoying Kate had been the last few months, the incident when she was expelled from school and about Gordo asking her out to go the party. She also told Jo about how much it hurt her seeing Kate kissing the boy she loved.

Jo didn't do anything but listen first. Then she talked to Lizzie, and consoled her, giving some advice, and assuring that she would be always there for Lizzie. Two women, two best friends.

**-s-**

Miranda, Larry and Gordo had given their excuses to their parents for going out that night.

It was 8:15 p.m. and Gordo took the bus to go to the Digital Bean, the place they had decided to meet in. He looked strange wearing black clothes.

"_The color of my clothes goes with my mood…" _He thought. He couldn't help feeling terrible for the things that had happened that afternoon at Lizzie's place. He had tried to call her, but she hadn't wanted to talk to anybody.

When he entered the Digital Bean, contrary to what he had thought, he didn't attract the attention of anyone whatsoever.

_"Maybe I'm not looking as weird as I thought…"_

Immediately, he looked at two known girls at the bottom of the room.

_"Kate and Andie?"_

Suddenly, he had an idea. He approached silently, trying to hear what they were talking about. A lot of things started to take shape inside his head.

_"Someone used a double of Lizzie to get her into trouble. Tudgeman saw that person and wasn't able to say whether or not she was Lizzie. But, the only person who could be so perfectly mistaken for Lizzie is… "_

He looked at Andie, hiding behind a plant.

_"Lizzie and Andie had a fight… and Andie is a Kate's friend now. Kate hates Lizzie, even more because of me now… "_

Suddenly, the two girls got up and walked slowly towards the door, talking. Gordo overheard a part of her conversation.

"Well, Andie, everything went just like as we planned. Lizzie was expelled and it's sure Lizzie is mad at Gordo now. Nobody rejects me, and if I don't get what I want, I make sure nobody else can have what I didn't get." Kate said, grinning.

"Yeah, sure…" Andie answered, sounding not so pleased.

Kate stopped and asked, "What's wrong with you? Didn't you want to have your revenge also?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Don't say anything else, let's go to see if the bag with the wig and the clothes has already been taken from the trash."

"Fine." Andie answered.

Both girls exited the Digital Bean.

"_So... they were…"_ Gordo thought. "_That's why Kate wasn't at school today… she thinks that since she didn't go to school, we couldn't suspect of her about the incident... Now, what bag were they talking about?"_

Gordo followed them trying his hardest not to be noticed. He saw them in the passage next to the Digital Bean, looking into a trash container.

"It's still there." Kate said. "Let's go, the cleaners will take it later."

The two girls walked through the passage and disappeared at the corner. Gordo approached the container and saw the bag. _"It's the same bag they were carrying yesterday..."_ he thought. Inside the bag were a blonde wig, clothes that were identical to the ones Lizzie was wearing in the morning, and some girl's accessories. _"What Miranda and I were thinking was correct. Kate is behind everything."_

"Gordo, what are you doing there?" a voice asked.

Gordo jumped and turned back to look.

"Miranda, if you do that again, you'll give me a heart attack!" he said.

"Sorry, but why are you looking in the trash? If you're hungry, come on, I'll invite you for a snack here at the Digital Bean!" Miranda joked, grinning.

"Very funny." Gordo said, feeling a little upset, but at the same time amused by the joke. "But you see, as we thought, Kate was behind everything." He finished, pointing at the bag.

"What do you mean?"

"It seems Kate used Andie to impersonate Lizzie, taking advantage of Andie's talents for copying her. And this is what I was picking from the trash, is the bag that contains the wig and the clothes they used to do it."

"Uh… eh… eh… " Miranda said, grabbing the bag and looking inside. "…But, how did you know?"

"They were here a few minutes ago, and I heard them talking about the plan they had made to get Lizzie expelled from school."

Miranda looked at one side, clenching her teeth, clenching her hands into fists.

"So, it was the bitch… it was Kate…"

"Yeah. We already know who did it. But we have to think of a way to make them confess… and I've got no idea how to do it."

"She really wants to take Lizzie away from you… that's why she's doing this. Gee, she's obsessed! I was assuming something like that, Andie…" Miranda commented.

"Kate is a little… unbalanced. And Andie… we know her. She needs to get a personality." Gordo said.

"We'll think of something to prove Kate's is the culprit. But we still need the tapes." Miranda pointed. "By the way, where's Larry?"

"Hey guys, I'm sorry for the delay." Larry said, joining them.

"At last!" Miranda exclaimed. "I thought you wouldn't show up!"

Gordo told Larry what he had heard and seen. Larry didn't seem that surprised; he knew what Kate was capable of.

"So," Larry said. "things make a lot of sense now... we were right all along."

The trio took a bus to go to school. It was almost 10:15 p.m. when they arrived. Larry instructed, "Here are two flashlights, one for me and the others for you two. Use it only when it's appropriate and necessary to do it, otherwise we could get caught. I mean, we'll use the lights from the corridors. You could use it when you're already inside a room, where the light can't escape out. Now, according to Miranda's plan," - Larry said, winking at her, she returned a smile, Gordo rolled his eyes- "we should be able to slip through the store rooms behind the gym, maybe we will need the flashlights there, those must be dark rooms, but we'd better use them with caution, like I said. You'll wait for me to disconnect the power from the security cameras, according to what I found out, the controls of power are in those rooms. Then we go to the security room. Gordo, you and Miranda will enter there and make a copy of the tapes we need, we can't take them with us, it would be difficult to return them tomorrow. Take these blank tapes. - he said, giving Gordo three small cassettes, "I'll stay outside and watch if any of the guards comes there. We'll stay in contact with the walkie-talkies. Well… are we ready?"

"Ready." Miranda and Gordo said.

"For Lizzie!" Larry cheered and the three friends put their hands in for a team high five.

**-s-**

Kate was already in bed.

_"Perfect"_ She thought. _"It all couldn't have gone better today."_

Nevertheless, there was something that wasn't enabling her to sleep. A guilty sensation was growing slowly within her, a sensation that she had ignored all the day.

Kate would start paying for what she did. It would start in her dreams, or rather, in her nightmares.

- - - - - - - - -

_Wait for next chapter. Please review, I'd love to hear your comments._


	9. Nightmares and difficulties

_I'm really sorry for the delay in updating. I've been up to so many things, that I haven't had time to get this chapter beta-read. Hope someone's still waiting for updates… :P_

_Anyway, there is it. Hey Dario, thanks for your help with this chapter!_

_This chapter contains some violent situations, not really hard, but somehow weird._

_- - - - - - - - - - -_

**Chapter IX: Nightmares and difficulties**

_"Someone please help me!"_

_I was hanging over a precipice, from a rope threatening to break. My voice echoed loudly through the cliff, enough for someone to hear me._

_"Please help me! I don't want to die! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!"_

_I was just about ready to give up when suddenly my hopes were revived. A small female figure showed up on the edge of the cliff._

_"Hey, whoever you are, please help me! Please!" I cried._

_The hazy light began to disappear and suddenly I was able to see the person clearly. It was Lizzie McGuire._

_"Lizzie, I'm so glad you are here! Please save me! Don't let me die!" I screamed._

_It was Lizzie all right, but there was something weird about her. The expression on her face made me remember the image I used to see everyday when I looked myself in the mirror. She then spoke out to me._

_"What's up, Kate? How did you get there?" Lizzie asked in a mocking tone with a cold look in her eyes and a strange smile on her lips._

"How did I end up here? I don't know!" _I thought._

_"Lizzie, please help me! I can't hold on much longer!"_

"_Why should I?" Lizzie asked_

_"Lizzie, Please! I'm begging you! Can't you see the rope is starting to break? I'm going to die if you don't help me!"_

"_Is that my problem?"_

_I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was this person really Lizzie McGuire? She seemed so different. The Lizzie McGuire I knew would never think twice about helping someone._

_"Lizzie, please stop asking stupid questions and help me out of here!"_

"_Stupid?" Lizzie asked with a quizzical expression on her face._

_The rope began to creak and soon I began to lose grip of the rope._

_"Stupid? I think my questions make a lot of sense. But, actually, I guess I've been very stupid a lot of times." Lizzie went on. "All the times I've helped you. The thing goes like this: I help you, you throw me off. Seems like the action and reaction law. The compassionate Lizzie McGuire always cares about everyone, but nobody cares about her."_

_"Lizzie, you've lost your mind. Snap out of it and help me!" I begged._

_Lizzie squatted down onto her knees and stared at me._

_"Revenge is so sweet, don't you think?" Lizzie smiled with an evil grin on her face._

_I started to tremble. "What do you mean?" I asked._

_"Since I got expelled from school, my life has been hell. Miranda and Gordo forgot about me. In my new school everyone was always making me feel like a worm. Andie replaced you in that place and she was vicious, even worst than you. She got me into bigger trouble. Miranda and Gordo really thought that I was capable of doing horrible things and they dumped me. You have no idea of how much I have suffered."_

_The rope creaked again. This time I could clearly feel myself slipping down the rope._

_"Oh god, I'm falling! Lizzie, Please! Please help me…!" I said crying, tears burning my cheeks._

_"So," Lizzie continued, ignoring me as if I didn't say anything. "I promised myself not to care about anyone anymore. Since the goddamn day you kissed Gordo in front of me. But don't worry, I won't be selfish. I'll take you out of your suffering."_

_"Oh, Lizzie, thanks you so much!" I said smiling, beginning to regain hope._

_Lizzie reached for something in her pocket._

_"But, wait!" Lizzie yelled abruptly. "I always wanted to find out who's responsible for my misery… Let's see… a person who hates me for no reason, a person that always enjoyed bugging me… I remember… she's tall, blonde, popular…"_

_Lizzie looked at me._

_"He-he! I know who it is! It's you, Kate Sanders!" She said, opening her eyes widely and grinning horribly._

_Lizzie had gone insane. Suddenly I felt sorry for all the things I had done to Lizzie._

"_Well, like I said, it's time to take you out of your misery." Lizzie said, as she pulled out a jackknife from her pocket. "Don't worry, in a few seconds you won't be suffering anymore."_

_"Lizzie, wait, what are you doing?"_

_"Don't you see? I'm cutting the rope. Bon voyage!"_

_"No, Lizzie, please forgive me, I'm so sorry for all the horrible things I've done to you, but please don't do it."_

_"Overdue apology. Sorry."_

_"Lizzie, no, Lizzie... LIZZIE! AHHHHH!"_

_She cut the rope and the next thing I knew was I was falling, shrieking. I was falling so fast that I couldn't see the bottom of the precipice until I hit it._

"NOOOOOOOO!" Kate wake up, crying, her body wet with cold sweat.

"Calm down, Kate. Calm down."

She got up and went to the kitchen to drink some water. _"It was just a nightmare."_

_"A nightmare. A nightmare! That was all."_

Unconsciously, she knew the reason for that dream. The guilt she was feeling for what she had done to Lizzie had put her into that situation.

She drank two glasses of water, and returned to her bedroom.

_"Now, sleep quietly. Forget about everything."_ She put a New Age CD into her CD-player, and lay down again on the bed, listening to the music, trying to relax. But it wasn't the last bad dream she was going to have that night.

**-s-**

Larry, Gordo and Miranda had just jumped over the fence. Walking as quietly as they could, the trio approached to the store rooms behind the gym.

"Hold on a sec." Larry said, as he tried to open the padlock with the picklock.

"Are you sure there are no guards by here right now?" Miranda asked Larry.

"The only guards in duty at this hour are Mr. Melville and Mr. Miller, they must at the labs building now. We must hurry, because the rest of the guards will arrive later."

"So, there's no problem by now," Gordo said. "Mr. Melville is a little deaf. And Mr. Miller, a little blind."

Miranda chuckled.

"Got it!" Larry whispered. He withdrew the picklock and opened the door. As they had thought, those storerooms were darker than dark.

"I can't see anything." Gordo said.

"Do we have to go through there? I mean, I don't like the dark…" Miranda said, with a hint of fear in her voice.

"No. You do. But don't worry as long as we have this." Gordo replied, turning on the flashlight. "After me." He commanded.

The three entered the big room. Larry closed the door behind them.

"Hey!" Miranda said. "Don't close the door! How are we supposed to exit?"

"Miranda, please, take it easy!" Larry responded. "The door opens from inside! Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous!" Miranda shot back. "I'm just a little tense…" She pointed, quivering.

"Shhhh! Do you want us to get caught?" Gordo asked. "What if the guards come here unexpectedly and hear you talking?"

"Sorry…" Miranda whispered.

They continued walking. A mouse crossed in front of them, squeaking.

"Ahhhhh---" Miranda yelled, and his scream was cut by Larry, when he put his hand in her mouth.

"Miranda!" the two boys whispered, starting to get angry.

"Sorry…" Miranda mumbled… "I promise it won't happen again…."

_"Darkness, mice… cobwebs!" _she thought, looking at the old boxes. _"Can you believe the things I have to do for you, McGuire…?"_ she thought to herself.

_**-s-**_

_"Give me your money and your jewelry!" A thief demanded me._

_"No! Go away! Police!" I shouted._

_I started running, and that disgusting man was running after me. He seemed to be determined to do more than just stealing my money and my jewels. I turned a corner, looking behind me. When I saw in front of me, I was at a dead end. I stopped and that man hurled over me._

_"No! Get off of me!" I shouted. "Don't hurt me!" I said, struggling against the criminal._

_"You're mine!" He said, ripping my shirt._

_"No! No!" I screeched. _

_"Get off of her!" someone shouted, hitting the burglar with a pipe in the back. It was Gordo who had attacked him. Lizzie was behind him, with her hands on her face, scared._

_"You rat!" the burglar exclaimed, pushing Gordo against a trash container. Gordo fell over the ground, and the thief tried to attack him while he was down, but with a fast move, Gordo dodged the attack, rolling over the ground and getting up again._

_But the thief was also fast. He managed to get up, and Gordo didn't have time to dodge the new attack. The man hit him in the face, leaving him knocked out._

_"Now, what were we doing before this?" he said, approaching to me._

_"Go away!" I shouted._

_He pulled a gun off from his belt and pointed it to me. "Give me money and your jewelry! Don't make me ask you again!" I was paralyzed._

_"Now!" he yelled, preparing the gun to fire it._

_"Don't hurt her!" Lizzie demanded, appearing behind him, trying to take off the gun off from his hand. I curled up in the corner._

_Lizzie thought she could take the gun, but she was wrong. The man was a killer. He didn't have any doubt at pulling from the trigger. A gunshot sounded. Lizzie fell, the man swore and ran away._

_I was frozen. Lizzie was lying there in the floor, bleeding._

"_Lizzie!" I cried, approaching to her. "Lizzie, why did you do that?"_

_"Kate…" she whispered, softly. "I had to… that man was going to hurt you…"_

_"Lizzie… you didn't have to do it… look at you... please help!" I cried to the sky._

_"Kate, I had to…" she repeated. "What are friends supposed to do?"_

_"Friends?" I asked, crying more desperately "But I've been a royal bitch to you…"_

_"We were friends… and… and…"_

_"Help!" I shouted again._

_"There's no spite… Kate. Just… get some help, cause I'm dy…."_

_Lizzie closed her eyes._

_"Lizzie…. Lizzie… LIZZIE! No…" _

_Lizzie's lifeless body relaxed. Her face didn't show pain, or fear… She seemed to be happy… happy of saving me…_

_I didn't do anything but cry._

Kate woke up again, but this time, she was unable to say a word, unable to moan, her tears streaming down on her cheeks. The New Age music was still playing.

_"Why am I having these horrible nightmares?"_

She sat on the edge of the bed, covering her face with her hands. Between her fingers, she saw a drawer of her night table slightly opened. Attracted by some unknown force, she opened it and took a photo album. Walking towards her window, she opened the album. At seeing the photograph that was in that page, her pain became more intense, and made her let out a mournful sob. In the picture, with one arm, a six-year old Lizzie and a seven-year old Kate were holding their respective toy animals, Mr. Snuggles and Mr. Wugglesby. With the other arm, they were hugging, with big smiles on her faces.

**-s-**

Larry, Miranda and Gordo made their way through the dark store rooms. Larry was looking for the controls of the power for the security cameras.

"Too bad, or rather, too good they haven't installed security cameras here." Larry commented.

"What do you mean?" Miranda asked.

"He means," Gordo said, "anyone could enter the school the way we've entered. Anyone could enter stealthy and stole the supplies stored here, and there wouldn't be something to help to find that people. But it's good for us, otherwise we couldn't be here. We'd easily get busted."

"Oh…" Miranda whispered. "I understand. Basically, we're like thieves right now…"

"Kind of." Gordo affirmed, smiling.

"Guys, look!" Larry said, pointing to a wall. "The power controls!"

"Great." Gordo said. "Disconnect the power of the cameras."

Larry took a paper from his pocket and read his notes.

"Let's see. According to what I've found out, this, this, this, this…. This! This is the switch!" Larry shut down the power of the cameras. "Well, surveillance is down. Let's go."

When they found the door that connected that room with the corridors they had to use the picklock again to open the door.

"Well guys, we have to be careful. Those corridors are more illuminated. We're next to the boy's lockers. Let's head to the security room. Turn off the flashlight, Gordo, weren't going to need it here."

"Fine." Gordo confirmed.

Very quietly, the trio walked towards the security room.

They had just passed the corner when Larry turned back and saw a shadow moving in the corner of the corridor.

"Hurry up!" he whispered.

"What's the matter?" Miranda asked.

"Someone's coming that way!" he informed.

They hid behind the next corner. From that place they saw Mr. Melville walking slowly, looking in all directions.

"Didn't you say there wouldn't be guards right now?" Miranda protested.

"He's not supposed to be here!" Larry answered, confused.

"Maybe they changed the schedule… or maybe they heard Miranda shrieking…" Gordo suggested.

Miranda lowered her head, feeling guilty. Gordo noticed that immediately and apologized. "I'm sorry, Miranda, I didn't mean it was because of you---"

"Don't worry, Gordo." she interrupted. "I know. But maybe you're right---"

"Whatever", Larry interrupted. "We've got to be even more careful. The security room is two corridors away. It seems like Mr. Melville is already gone. Come on."

They arrived to the security room. The door was opened.

"Weird…" Miranda said. "Why the door is opened?"

Gordo opened widely his eyes, as he understood everything.

"We got to hurry!" he exclaimed. "Mr. Melville has realized that the power of the cameras has been shut down! Let's make the copy of the tape and let's get the hell out of here!"

A terrified expression came to Miranda's and Larry's face.

"That means… he's heading towards…" Larry started…

"The power controls!" Miranda completed. "How will we return to the store rooms if he's on the way to there, and more, with the cameras on? Damn it! What are we going to do?"

"I'm gonna distract him while you two make the copies… I'll figure out a way to do it… and make it good… just wish me some luck…" Larry said.

"It's too risky…" Gordo pointed out.

"I know, but there's not another way… I'm on it… I'll talk to you with the walkie-talkie." Larry answered, starting to walk.

"Larry, wait…" Miranda whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"I just wanted to say… good luck…"

Miranda approached Larry and gave him a short kiss on the cheek.

Gordo rolled his eyes. "I don't want to be a killjoy, but we have to hurry!"

Larry felt confused but happy for a few seconds, as Miranda blushed.

"Get going…" she said.

"Good…" he responded, and left. Gordo and Miranda rushed into the security room.

**-s-**

Kate hadn't stopped crying.

"What have I done? What have I done?"

The memories were coming to her mind as fast as meteors. She remembered a lot of things. She remembered when she was paired with Lizzie to make a Social Studies project about the food of Latvia, and realized how stupid was the way she stopped being friend with Lizzie. When that all started? Oh, yeah, the cheerleader's camp. She met there the most conceited and cruel girls, girls that had dumped their friends in order to step forward in the social ladder. And, she did the same to Lizzie and Miranda. Maybe because she missed to learn how to be a good friend… she always missed something that Lizzie and Miranda had.

She remembered when Lizzie took the guilt for destroying the statue of the first principal of school, taking the blame. Lizzie didn't even touch the statue, but Kate had said: "If we were going to get busted by now we would have". Later she knew that everyone knew Lizzie didn't destroy the statue, and that's why nobody had gone to the Spring Fling Dance. Everyone had gone to Lizzie's house instead. Very deep inside her, she knew she deserved that. The most popular girl of school, alone, humiliated.

She saw the photo again. _"I'm such a waste."_ Kate thought. She saw the moon through the window, memories still racking through her head.

Kate remembered when she was rejected from the cheerleading team; Lizzie trained her so she could enter again. Once she learned to do those complicated jumps with only an arm, she reluctantly thanked Lizzie, and left Lizzie's house, not without remarking that that didn't mean anything, that she wouldn't be friend with Lizzie again.

Kate remembered when Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda were the only ones from school who went to her 14th birthday (well, _15th_ birthday) and Lizzie helped to make all the annoying Amy's friends go to make a mess anywhere but there by calling her mother.

In few words, Lizzie was always nice to her, and she always was harsh, cruel, and mean to her. Lizzie was one of the few persons, maybe the only one that truly cared for her.

"Why? Why am I such an evil person?" she said out loud. She realized her plans had gone farther than she expected, the principal had been hurt. She regretted everything now.

What about Gordo? It hurt so much seeing him everyday, knowing that he didn't love her, that he loved Lizzie. If Gordo should know what she had done, he'd hate her.

"_He already hates me." _She thought to herself.

She couldn't believe her feelings for Gordo had leaded her to do those bad things, getting Lizzie expelled and kissing Gordo in front of Lizzie. She knew a long time ago that Gordo loved Lizzie. And since two months ago she knew Lizzie felt the same way for him.

Feelings… no, those weren't feelings. What she had in her mind was just an obsession. Each time she saw Lizzie and Gordo together she could see true love in their eyes. Those times, she felt like she was dying, feeling that jealousy burned her soul, wanting so bad to separate them. But now, she saw herself as a disgusting person… as a person without a heart. How had she dared to mess up everything between Lizzie and Gordo?

She realized about all the damage she had done. How could she fix things up?

She guessed she should. And for the first time in her life, it seemed like she was going to do the right thing. Suddenly, the phone rang, distracting her.

"_Who can it be now?"_

Kate picked the receiver up and answered in a low voice, trying to don't make obvious the fact she was crying:

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kate. It's Andie. We got to talk."

Kate didn't expect Andie to call. Anyway, she intended to talk to her the next day.

"Sure. We _need_ to talk" the blonde said, breathing deep.

_- - - - - - - - - - - - -_


	10. The truth on video

_I'm so sorry for not having updated this in such a long time. It wasn't a writer's block, it was just that I've been very very busy. If someone's still keeping an eye on this story… I'm sorry again! I'll try to update more often._

_I've made some Lizzie McGuire fanvids, please check my profile page and you'll find the links! I've put a lot of work and heart on them, and I hope you like them! Please check my new homepage too. )_

_Hope you like this chapter. Special thanks to Dario, my beta reader._

_- - - - - -_

**Chapter X: The truth on video**

After talking to her mother, Lizzie lay flat on her bed staring straight at the ceiling. She couldn't help but think about the events that had happened earlier. She had witnessed her best friend, the love of her life being kissed by her worst enemy. Just thinking about it hurt like hell. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

A few minutes later, Matt had just come home, oblivious as to what had happened that day. He didn't bother to wait for his mother to finish telling him the entire story before rushing up the stairs to talk to Lizzie. He knocked softly on her door.

"Lizzie, can I come in?", he asked

Lizzie attempted to wipe away the tears off of her cheeks and tidy up her hair.

"Yes, Matt, come in."

"How are you?" Matt asked timidly

"Did mom tell you everything that happened to me today? If not I'm sure you will find out eventually anyway."

"She didn't tell me much… but enough to know what happened. Sorry Sis, I know how it must feel.

"You just don't understand. You have no idea how I feel!"

Matt was silent.

"Matt… I'm sorry…" Lizzie said, sobbing. He hugged her. She then told him everything that happened. It was hard for her to talk, as sometimes she wanted to cry but had to restrain herself, and other times her tears streamed down her cheeks without control. When she finished, she seemed to be more calm, but still angry.

"I don't know what to believe after what I saw. What if there's something going on between them?"

"That's impossible Lizzie, and we both know it! Don't let those ideas to get you… Kate is so despicable and Gordo never could love someone like her. Believe me… if it wasn't that way," Matt made a kung-fu fighter gesture, "he would have to give a credible explanation to Jet-Li's sidekick boy!"

Lizzie laughed a bit; a weak laughter mixed with a sob, and looked Matt in the eyes.

"I'm really sorry, Lizzie. But I'm sure that everything is going to be okay. I'm sure it wasn't his fault, Gordo loves you. He couldn't do something like that to you."

"I'm so confused, and tired, and just want to go to sleep. I wish I could just wake up tomorrow and none of this had ever happened.…"

"Everything will be fine. If Gordo promised to get you out of this trouble, I'm sure he will do that, and that will show you that he loves you for real."

"Thank you, Matt."

"You're welcome… '_my dear sister'_" he answered

"Hey!" she said, taking a pillow and hitting him with it over his head. They started a long pillows fight that had to be stopped when Sam entered Lizzie's room and got accidentally hit by a pillow by Lizzie.

**-s-**

Meanwhile, Miranda, Gordo and Larry were at school, executing Miranda's plan to prove Lizzie's innocence. Things had got complicated for them since the security guards were on to them. Larry went to try to distract the guards, while Miranda and Gordo made copies of the security tapes to prove Lizzie's innocence.

"Gordo, we have to hurry, Larry won't be able to distract the guards for much longer without us getting caught."

"I know, don't make me nervous! Let's see. Out of all these monitors, which one is the one we are looking for? Damn it! Which is it? Miranda, help me!"

"What's the tape I should look for?" Miranda answered, nervously.

"The one of the corridors with all the lockers…"

Gordo stayed thinking for a moment. He realized that the tape of the Principal's office corridor wouldn't be enough. If it was true that there was two 'Lizzies', one of them must have been there. And the other must have been at the lockers corridor!

"Gordo, what happens?"

"We also have to find the tape of the Principal's office corridor… If it was true that there was two 'Lizzies', it's obvious that one of them must have been there, and the other 'Lizzie' must have been at the lockers corridor!"

They started to read the screen labels frantically looking for the ones they needed. Meanwhile, Larry was running fast and cautiously towards the store rooms.

"C'mon, I hope Melville hasn't arrived yet to the store rooms, please…"

When he turned the corner of the corridor he saw Mr. Melville, not more than ten feet away from the door.

"Come on… I got to find a way to distract him!"

Larry saw a picture hanging from the wall, and without thinking twice, he took it and threw it to the floor. The glass broke and made a loud noise, causing Mr. Melville to turn back to see who was sneaking around. Larry waited a second as he leaned on the wall, then ran to the end of the corridor and broke another picture to distract Mr. Melville. It had worked, but now he was being chased. It wouldn't take much longer for him to get caught.

Miranda and Gordo had already found the tapes, had rewound them and started copying the parts of the recordings they needed. Gordo looked impatiently at his watch, waiting for the tapes to be copied. Miranda had the walkie-talkie in her hand, ready to answer when Larry calls.

"Do you think they have caught him?" Miranda asked in a fearful voice. "He hasn't talked to us over the walkie-talkie."

"I hope they don't. He couldn't have let them catch him."

There was still al lot of things to think about 'Saving Lizzie' operation.

"Miranda, have you thought about how are we going to tell the vice-principal about the tapes without him realizing we have watched them? I mean, without him knowing we've come tonight to make copies of them?"

Miranda lowered her head and made a quick grimace.

"No, I haven't. But we'll have time to think about it."

When the tapes were almost ready, they received a transmission over the walkie-talkie:

_(Bzz) Gordo? Miranda? (Bzz)_

"Oh my God! Larry, where are you?" Miranda answered.

_(Bzz) I've got Mr. Melville and Mr. Miller tracking me down… and I've managed to get them away from our exit. Did you finish copying the tapes?"_

Gordo asked Miranda for the walkie-talkie. "We just need two minutes more. Please keep them distracted just a bit more!"

_(Bzz) "Well, that's what I'm doing."_ Larry answered. _"See, when you're done, I need you go to the store rooms, but be careful. I'll do my thing here to keep them away from you a little longer, but you have to be fast!" (bzz)_

Miranda snatched the transmitter from Gordo and asked Larry: "But… What about you? How are you going get out of there?"

_(bzz) "Don't worry about me, I'll figure that out. What is important now is that they don't get you busted. If they catch me… well, I'm not going to rat out anyone. But, please, get out of there quickly!"_

Gordo approached Miranda and said: "No way! We're not leaving without you! We're going to wait for you!"

_(bzz) Don't be stupid! Do what I say! If you don't get out of there they are going to… (bzz)_

"Larry? Larry? Larry!" Gordo tried to get an answer, but he didn't get any. He tried several times to contact Larry, but the efforts were useless. Miranda was about crying.

"Gordo, what happened to Larry?"

"I don't know…"

A red light activated in the consoles indicating that the tapes were ready.

"What are we going to do?" Miranda asked.

"We have to get out of here."

"We can't leave without Larry!" Miranda replied. "I'm going to help him!"

Miranda rushed towards the door but Gordo held her by the arm.

"Miranda, don't go! You'd make things more complicated for him! You know him; for sure he's already got a plan!"

"He needs help! We can't leave without him! I can't believe you want to abandon him!"

"It's not like that! See, we have the tapes and Larry told us to leave! We're going to wait for him outside, and we must go because we can't expose ourselves! We got to hurry!"

Miranda couldn't refute.

"Ok. Let's go."

Miranda and Gordo made sure they left the room just like they found it, and they could go back to the store rooms without any problem. They crossed the store rooms using the flashlight and came out from the school. Miranda suggested talking to Larry over the walkie-talkie, but Gordo didn't let her to, because the transmission could reach him in an inopportune moment.

They jumped over the fence and climbed a tree to wait there. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed but Larry was still not showing up.

"Gordo, I can't wait anymore. Can we talk to him?"

"I guess that's not necessary" a voice coming from the sidewalk assured.

Miranda and Larry exclaimed in one voice: "Larry!" Miranda came down and hugged Larry. "Hey, how did you get rid of the guards? Tell us everything! Why did it take so long?"

"Well, I just had to set some traps in the Science Lab, mix up some substances to produce smoke, play some sound effects in the multimedia lab… you know, whatever it was necessary to confuse them and make them look for me in the places I wasn't. For real, I had no idea of how to make it, but when you're about to be captured, you have to think fast, don't you?"

"I guess…" Gordo replied. "I'm happy we made it. But now we must go before they start looking for us outside the school. Let's go to my house to analyze these tapes."

**- s –**

"So, what do you want to talk about, Andie?" Kate said, pretending to be calm.

"Look, it's just that I was thinking about what we did today and I wanted to make sure that I won't get in trouble in account of you 'little' plan."

"What do you mean, '_your little plan_'?" Kate responded. "You agreed! You wanted…" - Kate stopped, then continued in a very low voice - "… you wanted to take revenge too, didn't you?"

"That's right. But it mainly was _your_ revenge. So I don't want to get involved if they catch you. You understand?"

"Andie… I've been thinking about this too, and I realized that Lizzie didn't deserve this… and I need you to help me to fix up the disaster I caused."

"Some revenge, uh?" Andie said, sarcastically. "What you want to do is totally pathetic, you know? How it comes that the same day you execute you plan you want to undo it?"

"Andie, please… both you and I know that Lizzie didn't do anything but helping you… and _both_ you and I have treated her as harshly as we could… we got to remedy the damage we caused, and you have to help me…"

"Are you nuts? I'm not going to help you, don't even think about it, do you understand? Goodbye!"

Kate heard for a moment the intermittent tone of the finished call. Then she violently hang the phone up.

"Damn it! Anyway, I don't need you help, idiot! As ridiculous as it could seem, I'm determined to help Lizzie!" she murmured, clenching her teeth.

She was sure she could do it withoutAndie's help. And she had to think of a plan. Maybe delivering herself to the Principal could be the easiest way, but it would mean that she'd be expelled.

She didn't want to think about that for that day. So she went to sleep. And she slept quietly, without nightmares, maybe because her decision to save Lizzie was tranquilizing her.

**-s-**

"Hi, David!" Roberta Gordo greeted his son when he arrived home with Miranda and Larry. "What happened? Didn't you finish your assignment?"

"Oh…! Hi mom! See, we were at Larry's but we realized we needed some information that I had in my computer so we came here to finish our homework! Oh, by the way, he's Larry --- he's my classmate since we were in elementary school but he has never come over…"

"Hi, Larry. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Gordon."

"Miranda, you came too!"

"Ah… yes! Good night, Mrs. Gordon!"

"Mom, we'll be upstairs." Gordo said, and with a gesture, he told Larry and Miranda to follow him. But then her mom called:

"David!"

He almost dropped his backpack with the tapes inside.

"Why… why you three are wearing the same kind of clothes?"

That was the moment when they realized that they were wearing 'unusual' clothes for just going to do homework. Those clothes are the kind of clothes people needs to… hide from something, or for camouflaging.

"For nothing special!" They three exclaimed at the same time. Roberta narrowed her eyes and looked at them suspiciously.

"Are you sure?"

Gordo answered: "Yes, mom… I guess…" – a nervous smile came to his face and finished his phrase: "… I guess it has been a coincidence!"

"All right. Off you go."

Once they were at Gordo's room, Miranda commented: "Your mom suspects that we were doing anything but studying."

"No worries. I know it's not right, but sometimes, being a 'perfect son' has a side of which you can take advantage of."

Gordo set up the necessary connections and started copying the tapes to the computer. Miranda and Larry were sitting on the bed looking some Gordo's photo albums. Gordo was leaning over the table, waiting, aiming his sight to an indeterminate point, and thinking.

_"Why Lizzie reacted that way when Kate kissed me? Did she feel that I was betraying her by doing that with her worst enemy? Or it's true that she's in love with me?_

And his memories started to flow:

- -

_"Hey chico, how are you?" Miranda asked, cheerfully. "What's up?_

"_Hi, Miranda. I'm fine, thanks."_

"_Hey, wait a moment. Why do you speak in that voice tone? What's wrong?_

"_It's same thing of the last days. You know I'm madly in love with Lizzie. I've decided to talk to her today. I'll call her to ask her to go out today to the Digital Bean."_

"_WOW! Gordo, I was thinking that you'd never take the courage to do it! And don't be afraid, it's obvious that both you and Lizzie would move mountains the one for the other one!"_

"_What do you mean? Do you mean that Lizzie…?_

"_Yeah, my dear friend. She also loves you, and she cannot hide that. You both are the only persons who haven't noticed about what feels the one for the other one!_

_- -_

"_Good afternoon, Mr. Dig."_

"_Hi Gordon. Sit down, please. Tell me what's happening with you."_

"_It's nothing, Mr. Dig. I was a bit distracted, that's all …"_

"_Gordon, I know. I realized how you were looking at Lizzie; I saw the drawing on your notebook… I suspected it long time ago."_

_- -_

_Gordo, there's something I want you to know._

"_What… what is it...?"_

_Gordo… I like y…"_

_- -_

"Hey Gordo, is that going to take too much time yet?"

Gordo went back to reality and realized that the tapes were already copied.

"No, it's ready. Come here."

Miranda and Larry took a seat and stared at the screen.

"Here we have two videos: The first one: the video of the lockers room."

"Look!" Larry pointed. "The first 'Lizzie' I met at the lockers!"

"Andie!" Miranda and Gordo exclaimed at the same time.

"Andie? Who's Andie?" Larry asked, confused.

Gordo paused the video and explained Larry the whole thing about Lizzie and Andie, how they became friends and how Andie got away from her. He also told him about how he found out that Andie and Kate were behind the scheme.

"Well, in some way, I guess it was a little obvious that Kate was behind everything but, why did we go for the tapes, then?"

"We needed the proof. We couldn't just go to tell the vice-principal what I heard; he simply wouldn't have believed it."

"Good point. Play the video."

Gordo did so, and they say that the real Lizzie meeting Tudge and talking to him.

"That's what I told you! That there were 'two Lizzies'"

"Let's watch the other video." Gordo said, pausing the recording.

Gordo played the video of the Principal's office corridor. Indeed, it was Lizzie who was there, setting a trap by greasing the floor.

"That's Lizzie…" Miranda said, opening her mouth.

"It isn't she." Gordo and Larry said. "Look at the hour."

The security tapes had the hour registered in the bottom left corner. In both recordings, the hour was 8:42 pm. But in one, Lizzie walked by the lockers corridor, and in the other, Lizzie was greasing the floor in front of Principal's office.

"Here we have the proof! The girl at the Principal Office is Andie! Lizzie couldn't split herself in two! That moron Adams is going to realize that Lizzie is innocent and that someone impersonated her!" Miranda exclaimed, full of bliss.

"There's something else we need to see." Gordo said. He played again the video in which 'Lizzie' met Larry, and zoomed it. He wanted to recognize Andie's face, but he couldn't since the images were taken form behind. But between the blonde hairs, he could see a lock of dark hair.

"See, a lock of dark hair. I'm pretty sure Lizzie doesn't have any."

"Well, now we have to convince the vice principal to watch the tapes… Of course, it will seem suspicious; for sure the guards will tell him what happened tonight."

"That's true, but we have to try. That's the only plan we've got. The only thing we can do now is to hope to be lucky."

"Well, that's the way we'll do this." Larry agreed. "So, we'll meet tomorrow at school."

Larry and Miranda said goodbye to Gordo and they left. When Gordo got to his room, Roberta was waiting for him.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

She answered calmly: "I just wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you. Although what you did was _very_ dangerous and imprudent. But I see that you're determined when it comes to help your friends, and of course, the girl you love."

_"How do moms to know everything?"_

"Mom, I-I-I-just… How did you…? Have you been spyi…?"

She hugged him. "Don't worry, David. I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen, and that Lizzie will return to school."

"Thanks, mom… but…"

"Shush." She said, making a gesture, the she left the room. Gordo would never have expected that. Why didn't she get angry? Why didn't she, if she knew what he and his friends had done?"

_"Mom's reactions could be confusing sometimes."_ He thought.

Anyway, he had to sleep. He had a beautiful dream, in which Lizzie sang lullaby songs for him.

"Good night, Gordo." Lizzie's image said, tenderly.

"Good night, Lizzie." He responded. And he smiled.

- - - - - - - - -


End file.
